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Security report for chess.com

Chess · Technology · N/a

Low risk. 3 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

79/100

Risk levelLow

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

Chess.com is a leading global online chess platform offering free and premium chess games, puzzles, lessons, and live events to over 200 million members worldwide. The platform targets chess players of all skill levels and provides a comprehensive suite of services including customizable training bots, game review with virtual coaching, and interactive lessons from top masters. The website demonstrates a high level of digital maturity with a modern tech stack including Vue.js, WebAssembly chess engines, and advanced analytics tools. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, bot protection via Cloudflare Turnstile, and secure form handling, although explicit security policies and incident response details are not publicly disclosed. Privacy compliance is robust, featuring comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms aligned with GDPR requirements. Overall, Chess.com presents a professional, trustworthy, and technically advanced online chess ecosystem.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

  2. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • High

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1
    • High

      Weak SSL Key Length

      SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

      What to do: Use at least 2048-bit RSA or 256-bit ECC key

      • CWE-326
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • Mozilla TLS: Mozilla Server Side TLS 6.0 intermediate: rsa_key_size 2048

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching chess.com

This scan found 16 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

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Recommended

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
47
Security headers
70
Email security
87
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
85
Average
79

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention chess.com, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
1,979,826
Employees
17
Customers
1,979,650
Third parties
159
Weak passwords
11%

Latest record dated 2026-06-08 · 722 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for chess.com.

Select it in the checkout above.

Masked preview

  • –www.chess.com2026-06-08
  • –chess.com2026-05-27
  • –www.chess.com2026-04-30
  • –www.chess.com2026-04-22
  • –chess.com2026-01-13

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Open in Breach(opens in a new tab)Monitor on Breach(opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Chess.com holds a dominant market position in the online chess industry, leveraging a large user base and extensive service offerings to maintain competitive advantage. Its business model combines free access with premium memberships (Gold, Platinum, Diamond) and monetizes through subscriptions and in-app purchases. The platform's partnership ecosystem includes payment processors like Adyen and consent management providers such as OneTrust. The company actively engages its community via multiple social media channels and supports mobile platforms with dedicated apps. Growth indicators include continuous feature enhancements, integration of advanced chess engines, and a strong focus on user experience and content quality.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of modern security headers, and bot mitigation via Cloudflare Turnstile captcha. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of publicly available security policies, incident response plans, and vulnerability disclosure programs suggests areas for improvement in transparency and readiness. Privacy compliance is well addressed with GDPR-aligned policies and consent mechanisms. The platform would benefit from publishing explicit security documentation and establishing formal channels for vulnerability reporting to enhance trust and security culture.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan accessible to users.
  2. Establish and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file.
  3. Provide clear contact information for data protection officers or security teams.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance transparency around data retention policies and user data handling.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Chess
Description
Play chess online for free on Chess.com with over 200 million members from around the world. Have fun playing with friends or challenging the computer!
Key services
Online chess play, Chess puzzles, Interactive lessons, Game review and analysis, Live events and tournaments, Social features and clubs, Mobile apps
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Vue.js, WebAssembly, Stockfish chess engine, Cloudflare Turnstile captcha, Adyen payment integration, Amplitude analytics, OneTrust cookie consent
Frameworks
Vue.js
Platforms
Web, iOS app, Android app
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS
  • Turnstile captcha for bot protection
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with CSRF tokens
  • Use of reputable chess engines in WebAssembly

Analytics and tracking

Services
Amplitude, Iterable, Intercom
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Confiant
Tracking pixels
Amplitude, Iterable
Marketing tools
Amplitude, Iterable, Intercom, Liveramp, Kount, Adyen
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
excellent
User experience
excellent
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and interactive features.
  2. Strong presence of privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms.
  3. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on the homepage or footer.
  4. Use of modern web technologies and chess engines for enhanced user experience.
  5. Multiple social media channels linked, indicating active community engagement.
  6. No signs of adult or questionable content; safe for general audiences.
  7. No explicit security or incident response policies published on the site.
  8. WHOIS data unavailable, likely due to registry restrictions.
Technical notes

Notes

Chess.com employs a robust and modern technical infrastructure featuring Vue.js for frontend development, WebAssembly for high-performance chess engines (Stockfish, Komodo, Torch), and advanced analytics platforms like Amplitude and Iterable. The site is optimized for mobile devices and demonstrates fast loading times and good SEO practices. Hosting appears to leverage Cloudflare services, including Turnstile captcha for bot protection. The platform integrates multiple third-party services for payments, consent management, and user engagement. Technical risks are minimal, though continuous monitoring of third-party dependencies is recommended to maintain security and performance.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

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