Star Gambit — Terms of Service
Last updated: April 23, 2026
Welcome to Star Gambit. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Star Gambit web game, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service"), which are operated by Hex Theory LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Michigan ("Hex Theory," "we," "us," or "our").
By creating an account, accessing, or playing Star Gambit, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 13 years old to register a Star Gambit account. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf. We may refuse service, close accounts, or remove content at our sole discretion.
2. Accounts and Guest Play
You may play Star Gambit without registering an account, subject to any feature limitations we choose to apply to guest play. If you do register an account, you agree to provide accurate information, keep your credentials secure, and accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account. You must promptly notify us of any unauthorized use. We are not liable for any loss resulting from your failure to safeguard your account. These Terms apply to all use of the Service, whether as a registered user or a guest.
3. Usernames and Profile Content
You are required to choose a username appropriate for a general audience. Usernames and profile content must not:
- contain profanity, slurs, hate speech, or sexually explicit language;
- impersonate another person, public figure, or Hex Theory staff;
- promote violence, illegal activity, or harassment;
- include advertising, spam, or misleading content;
- infringe on anyone's intellectual property or privacy rights.
We may rename, reset, or remove any username or profile content at our sole discretion, with or without notice.
4. Fair Play
Star Gambit is built around fair, skill-based competition. By playing, you agree to conduct yourself in a sportsmanlike manner and to refrain from any behavior that undermines the integrity of the game or the experience of other players. The examples below are illustrative and non-exhaustive. We reserve the right to take action against any conduct we consider unfair or unsporting, and we retain sole discretion in determining what constitutes a fair play violation.
4.1 Cheating
You may not use any external assistance during a game that improves your knowledge, calculation ability, or otherwise gives you an unfair advantage over your opponent. This includes, but is not limited to, game-playing engines or bots, solver software, reference databases, move or strategy recommendations from other people (including commenters on streams or social media), and any browser extensions, scripts, or third-party software we deem impermissible.
4.2 Boosting
You may not artificially inflate your rating, ranking, or progress — for example, by arranging wins in advance with another player or by knowingly playing against an opponent who is deflating their rating.
4.3 Sandbagging
You may not artificially deflate your rating or ranking — for example, by resigning early, intentionally losing, or putting no real effort into a game, whether your opponent is a willing participant or not.
4.4 Speedruns
Starting from a low rating and attempting to climb as quickly as possible — whether streamed, recorded, or otherwise — is not permitted.
4.5 Ragesitting and Ragequitting
Letting your clock run down, abandoning a game in progress, or forcing your opponent to wait rather than resigning or playing on is considered bad sportsmanship. Similarly, accept games rather than intentionally letting the lobby timer expire.
4.6 Cheating Accusations
Publicly accusing another player of cheating — whether in chat, forums, streams, social media, or anywhere else within or about the Service — is not tolerated and is itself considered bad sportsmanship. If you suspect a player of cheating, report them using the in-game report feature or the report page. Our moderation team will investigate.
4.7 Ban Avoidance
If your account has been restricted, suspended, or banned, you may not create or use another account to evade those restrictions without our explicit prior permission.
5. Enforcement
If we determine that you have violated these Terms, we may, at our sole discretion and without prior notice, take any action we consider appropriate, including warning you, adjusting or resetting your rating, removing content, revoking features, suspending or terminating your account, and refusing future service. Decisions regarding enforcement — including what constitutes a violation — rest solely with us.
6. User Conduct
In addition to the fair play rules above, you agree not to:
- harass, threaten, defame, or harm other users;
- attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other users' accounts, or our systems;
- interfere with, disrupt, or overload the Service (including through denial-of-service attacks, scraping, or automated queries);
- reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the Service except to the extent permitted by law;
- use the Service to violate any applicable law or regulation.
7. Intellectual Property
The Service, including its software, graphics, audio, branding, and all related content, is owned by Hex Theory or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
8. Privacy
Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and disclose information about you. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described there.
9. Termination
You may stop using the Service and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these Terms. Upon termination, the rights granted to you under these Terms will immediately cease. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and dispute resolution) will continue to apply.
10. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. HEX THEORY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED.
11. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HEX THEORY LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR (B) USD $100.
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hex Theory LLC and its members, officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may modify these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated Terms on the Service and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after the changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.
14. Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You agree that any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Michigan, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
15. Miscellaneous
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Hex Theory regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision. You may not assign these Terms without our prior written consent; we may assign them freely.
16. Contact
Questions about these Terms may be directed to:
Hex Theory LLC [email protected]