Official Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms" or "Agreement") form a binding legal contract that governs your Skillhouse Masters account, player portal access, and participation in any tournaments, matches, or events organized, managed, or hosted by Skillhouse Masters Inc. (the "Organizer", "we", or "us").

Article I: LEGAL DISCLOSURE & MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION

These events are independently organized tournaments powered by Chess.com's fair play technology. While utilizing Chess.com's proctoring and review systems where applicable, these events are not "Sanctioned" Chess.com Majors or Championships. Participants are bound concurrently by these Skillhouse Terms, the Chess.com User Agreement, and the 2026 Chess.com Competitive Events Policy.

All administrative, financial, and legal operations are managed solely by the Organizer. Participants agree that Chess.com bears no liability for prize distribution, platform availability, or tournament logistics.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, ANY CLAIM, DISPUTE, OR CONTROVERSY OF WHATEVER NATURE ("CLAIM") ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS, THE PLATFORM, OR OUR SERVICES MUST BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCESS DESCRIBED IN ARTICLE XIX BELOW. YOU ARE REQUIRING DISPUTES TO BE HANDLED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, THEREBY GIVING UP YOUR RIGHT TO LITIGATE DISPUTES IN COURT BEFORE A JUDGE OR JURY, OR TO PARTICIPATE AS A PARTY OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS, GROUP, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

All Skillhouse games are strictly Unrated. A player's official Chess.com public Elo rating will not be affected in any manner by participating in a Skillhouse Masters tournament.

Article II: ELIGIBILITY & GEOGRAPHIC RESTRICTIONS

You must be a natural person who is at least 18 years of age or older to create an account or participate. Higher age minimums apply where mandated by state law: you must be at least 19 years of age if located in Alabama or Nebraska, and at least 21 years of age if located in Massachusetts.

Participation within the United States for skill-based competitions requiring entry fees or offering premiums is strictly governed by a Dual Eligibility standard. You may not participate unless you satisfy BOTH of the following conditions simultaneously at the time of account creation and tournament entry:

● Legal Residence: You must be a legal resident of an eligible jurisdiction, as verified by the issuing state or extracted address on your government-issued ID; AND

● Physical Location: You must be physically located within an eligible jurisdiction, as verified by real-time device GPS location permissions.

• The eligible United States jurisdictions are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington (D.C.), Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

All other U.S. states, territories, and possessions are strictly unauthorized. Participation is explicitly blocked and prohibited if your legal residence OR your physical location is in: Arizona, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, or South Dakota.

Participation under our player credit-funded tournament model is open to legal residents physically located in Canada and any international country or territory, except where explicitly prohibited or restricted by applicable local law. All contests, tournaments, and competitions are strictly void in any jurisdiction that prohibits or restricts such activities.

To preserve an authentic amateur field, your registered Chess.com account must satisfy every gameplay restriction outlined in Section 2.5 at account creation and at each tournament entry. Furthermore, accounts must feature zero recorded Chess.com Fair Play violations within the trailing 365 days. The Organizer reserves the absolute right to decline, suspend, or revoke registration if a player's fair play history cannot be verified or if a historical violation is discovered retroactively.

The following specific performance ceilings are checked automatically at initial signup and verified again whenever joining any active tournament:

● Account Age: The linked Chess.com account must be at least six (6) months old, measured from its public creation date.

● Current Rapid Cap: The account's live Chess.com Rapid rating must not exceed 1600 at the moment of registration or tournament entry.

● Six-Month Rapid Peak: Within the rolling six (6) months prior to registration, the account must not have registered any post-game Rapid rating strictly above 1650. A peak of exactly 1650 is permitted; a rating of 1651 or higher results in immediate registration denial.

● Activity Minimum: The account must feature a lifetime history of at least fifty (50) completed, rated Rapid games (wins, losses, and draws combined) on the Chess.com platform.

● API Verification: The Organizer utilizes Chess.com's public API data to audit these criteria. Automated system checks are definitive and authoritative.

If a player satisfies all conditions at the time of registration, but their live Chess.com Rapid rating naturally rises and exceeds 1650 prior to the event date, the player is subject to the post-registration "Rating Spike" provisions detailed in Article VIII.

Article III: ACCOUNT REGISTRATION & PORTAL INFRASTRUCTURE

When creating a Skillhouse account, you must provide an accurate email address, date of birth, gender, and your valid Chess.com username. Geographic restrictions apply at account signup, before credit purchase or tournament registration. You are entirely responsible for maintaining the strict confidentiality of your account credentials and password. You are solely accountable for all activities, entries, transactions, and behaviors that occur through your account, whether authorized by you or not. You must notify the Organizer immediately of any suspected security breaches or unauthorized account use.

Account creation does not reserve a slot in any competition. Roster positions must be secured for each tournament individually through the player portal once join windows are officially opened.

• Roster allocations are designated by the system as: Not Joined, Waitlisted (queued first-in-first-out), KYC Required, Credits Required, Confirmed (fully registered and eligible), Comped (complimentary entry), Withdrawn, or Disqualified. Only confirmed or comped entrants may actively participate or claim prizes.

When a confirmed roster slot is vacated, the oldest waitlisted profile is promoted and notified. Promoted players must successfully pass identity verification (KYC) and execute credit allocation within twenty-four (24) hours from the timestamp of promotion (measured in UTC). Failure to complete both requirements within this window results in automatic removal from the roster and promotion of the next waitlisted user.

You may withdraw from a tournament roster through the player portal at any time prior to the close of registration or the locking window. Withdrawing automatically frees your spot and triggers waitlist promotion protocols.

Article IV: CREDIT SYSTEM & VIRTUAL GOODS

Credits are a non-refundable, virtual digital good used exclusively to pay administrative and entry fees within the platform ecosystem. Credits hold zero underlying cash value, do not accrue interest, are not a deposit account, and cannot be withdrawn, transferred to other accounts, traded, or redeemed for fiat currency outside of the tournament structure.

Before any credit package purchase can be executed, the user must successfully pass identity verification through the platform's designated third-party KYC provider (currently Didit or its successor). If KYC verification fails, the user is barred from purchasing credits and may not proceed to tournament registration requiring credits. Once approved, KYC status is tied permanently to the core account profile and satisfies requirements across all current and future tournaments.

Real money (USD) is used exclusively to purchase fixed credit packages through an authorized third-party payment processor (e.g., Payment Labs). The platform does not store full payment card details. The fixed exchange rate is $1.00 USD = 1 credit. No custom purchase amounts are permitted, and no bulk discounts apply. Credits do not expire while the account remains in good standing. Users may purchase credits only in the following preset packages:

Package Level — Credits Delivered — Price (USD)

Small — 25 credits — $25.00

Small — 50 credits — $50.00

Large — 100 credits — $100.00

There is no systemic minimum or maximum credit balance an account may hold. All credit package purchases are final and strictly non-refundable.

Each user account features a single credit wallet shared across all current and future tournaments on the platform. The player dashboard displays:

● Total Credits: The full, aggregate wallet balance.

● Held Credits: Credits currently reserved on hold for pending tournament entries or waitlist slots.

● Available Credits: Total credits minus held credits (the balance available for new tournament registrations or package purchases).

Tournament entry fees are expressed and charged exclusively in credits. The standard flow requires a user to purchase credits first (following KYC approval) and then join a tournament.

● When joining a tournament with a sufficient available balance, the platform places an immediate credit hold equal to that tournament's entry fee. The held amount is subtracted from "Available Credits" but remains in the "Total Credits" balance until spent or released.

● This immediate hold applies whether the player receives a confirmed roster spot or is placed on a waitlist.

● Users must clear a confirmation prompt disclosing that credits will be reserved before a hold is finalized.

● A user may hold credits for multiple tournaments simultaneously, provided their available credit balance is sufficient for each distinct hold.

Held credits are permanently spent and deducted from the user's Total Credits balance exactly twenty-four (24) hours before the tournament's scheduled start time (the "Lock Point"). Prior to this Lock Point, held credits remain releasable via voluntary withdrawal. After the Lock Point, entry credits are fully spent and completely non-refundable except as explicitly provided in Article VIII.

The platform maintains a secure, append-only transaction ledger recording every individual credit event, including purchases, entry holds placed, holds released, final credit spends, and administrative adjustments. This ledger populates the user's transaction history tab and serves as the definitive financial record for audit and dispute resolution.

Article V: MAIN TOURNAMENT STRUCTURAL POLICIES

The Main Tournament refers specifically to the flagship Skillhouse Amateur Chess Open event. Club configurations, platform links, and scheduling matrixes are published natively within the portal.

The Main Tournament field is hard-capped at two thousand (2,000) total player slots. This consists of exactly one thousand nine hundred fourteen (1,914) paid public entries and eighty-six (86) reserved complimentary entries. Roster attempts exceeding this cap are funneled to the automated waitlist.

The public entry fee is 115 credits per player. Entry costs are displayed across the player portal and tournament pages in credits only. There is no direct credit card or real-money payment gate at the moment of tournament join. This entry fee comprises:

● Prize Pool Contribution: Capital allocated directly to back the $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool.

● Administrative Fee: Operational overhead costs, including Chess.com platform integration, anti-cheating proctoring software licenses, identity verification, accelerated fair play review, and organizational profit.

The Main Tournament features a fixed, guaranteed cash prize pool of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) USD. The category breakdown across performance divisions is maintained at skillhousemasters.com/prizes. The Organizer guarantees the $50,000 total pool; individual category sub-allocations may be revised before the event date, provided the aggregate cash pool baseline remains exactly $50,000 USD.

The eighty-six (86) non-paid slots are manually assigned by administrative action. Up to eighty (80) slots are allocated to top-performing winners from the Ascend Satellites (forty per satellite). Up to six (6) slots are reserved for official marketing giveaways via partnered channels (e.g., Nemsko Chess / Flex Friday promotions). All promotional entries bypass credit requirements, holds, and spend gates, displaying a status of "Comped," but remain subject to identity, tax, and proctoring protocols. When a satellite winner is granted a comp entry, they are automatically removed from the other satellite (if registered) and any existing credit holds for their main entry are immediately released.

Article VI: ASCEND SERIES I (SATELLITE TOURNAMENT)

Ascend Series I operates as a non-cash qualifying satellite capped at two hundred (200) active players. The entry fee is 25 credits. Roster positions beyond capacity are queued via the standard waitlist protocol.

To ensure fair community access, a single user account may register for Ascend Series I or Ascend Series II, but is strictly blocked from entering both. Players may voluntarily switch between the two satellites via the portal, provided the targeted event has active capacity.

No cash prizes are awarded during satellite play. Ascend Series I awards exactly forty (40) complimentary entries to the Main Tournament, distributed as follows: the top twenty (20) open placements, the top ten (10) Tier B players, and the top ten (10) Tier C players. Winners are finalized only after Chess.com performs its post-event fair play audit, and they receive a comped Main registration status.

Article VII: ASCEND SERIES II (SATELLITE TOURNAMENT)

Ascend Series II operates as a non-cash qualifying satellite capped at two hundred (200) active players. The entry fee is 25 credits. Roster positions beyond capacity are queued via the standard waitlist protocol.

Prize distribution matches the forty (40) complimentary Main Tournament entries outlined in Section 6.3. Across both satellite competitions, a strict systemic ceiling of eighty (80) total complimentary slots will be awarded; the platform will reject any attempt to generate an eighty-first satellite winner entry.

Article VIII: REFUNDS, RETURNS, & DISQUALIFICATIONS

All credit package purchases executed through the platform are final, fully earned upon receipt, and completely non-refundable. Unused purchased credits cannot be cashed out, withdrawn, or refunded under any circumstances.

Tournament entry fees are non-refundable in real currency. In limited circumstances prior to the Lock Point, entry fees may be returned to the user's platform credit wallet as internal credits. The following matrix governs all withdrawal and disqualification scenarios:

Voluntary withdrawal before the 24-hour lock window — Entry credits returned to wallet: YES (Credit hold released); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Voluntary withdrawal from waitlist before Lock Point — Entry credits returned to wallet: YES (Credit hold released); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Satellite winner / Complimentary entry granted — Entry credits returned to wallet: YES (Main hold released, if any); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Post-Registration "Rating Spike" Disqualification — Entry credits returned to wallet: YES (Returned to credit wallet); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Fair Play / Cheating Disqualification — Entry credits returned to wallet: NO (Forfeited); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Eligibility / Identity / Terms Violation Disqualification — Entry credits returned to wallet: NO (Forfeited); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Request made after the 24-hour Lock Point — Entry credits returned to wallet: NO (Credits fully spent); Cash (USD) refund: NO

Chargeback initiation or Payment dispute — Entry credits returned to wallet: NO (Forfeited); Cash (USD) refund: NO

If a player successfully meets all amateur eligibility criteria at registration, but their public Chess.com Rapid rating naturally rises and crosses the amateur ceiling of 1650 prior to the tournament start, the player is disqualified from the amateur field. In such instances, the entry credits (whether currently held or already spent at the Lock Point) are returned in full to the player's internal credit wallet. Absolutely no cash refunds or financial remittances will be issued under any circumstances for rating-spike disqualifications. This credit return serves as the sole and exclusive remedy.

Players disqualified for cheating, fair play violations, engine use, behavioral or bracket manipulation, identity fraud, eligibility fraud, terms violations, VPN/geographic circumvention, or any related misconduct instantly forfeit all associated entry credits. No credit returns, cash refunds, or prize eligibilities will be recognized for accounts terminated due to misconduct.

Initiating a chargeback, bank reversal, or payment dispute against any legitimate credit package purchase results in immediate account suspension, tournament disqualification, and total forfeiture of all internal credit wallet balances, pending prizes, and associated account assets. The Organizer retains the express contractual right to pursue civil collections to recover the original fees, administrative costs, and legal expenses incurred while resolving chargeback fraud.

Article IX: IDENTITY VERIFICATION & DATA MANAGEMENT (KYC)

To complete registration, unlock the credit purchase gateway, or establish prize eligibility, players must successfully pass automated verification checks through Didit (or its designated successors). By using the platform, you provide explicit consent for the collection and processing of your government ID by Didit. Skillhouse does not store your ID images; we store only the verification decision and extracted text data.

Identity verification is tied permanently to the core Skillhouse account profile rather than individual tournament entries. Verification completed prior to credit purchases satisfies the requirement across all subsequent satellite tournaments and the Main Tournament, removing any need for repetitive checks.

Players receiving a complimentary Main Entry (via satellite victory or promotional giveaway) bypass credit payment gates but must satisfy all outstanding identity verification requirements before they are authorized to compete on a live roster.

All demographic data provided by you at initial signup (including Date of Birth and Gender) is provisional. Upon successful KYC verification, your account profile is automatically updated to reflect the exact data explicitly printed on your government-issued ID.

● Age Verification: The Date of Birth on your ID dictates your platform eligibility and overrides any manual signup entries.

● Gender and Prize Brackets: Your account gender and resulting prize bracket eligibility are permanently set to the gender/sex field extracted from your ID. Entry into "Female" exclusive prize brackets strictly requires the verified ID to indicate "Female". Users whose IDs indicate Male, X, Non-binary, undisclosed, or any other alternative designation are fully eligible for competition but will be routed to standard "Open" prize brackets. Self-declared demographic mismatches intended to manipulate specialized prize brackets constitute a material breach, resulting in disqualification and asset forfeiture.

Article X: UNIVERSAL COMPULSORY PROCTORING & SURVEILLANCE

Every player acknowledges and agrees that they are subject to mandatory anti-cheating proctoring and digital surveillance protocols in ANY and ALL events, matches, or tournaments hosted, managed, or organized by Skillhouse. Roster placement is strictly contingent on complete, ongoing compliance with these surveillance protocols.

Participants must install and execute the official Chess.com Proctor executable software application on their personal computing device. Ensuring complete hardware and operating system compatibility is the player's sole responsibility.

Throughout the entire duration of active event play, users must maintain two independent, uninterrupted live video feeds:

● Primary Feed: A front-facing integrated webcam capturing a clear, centered, well-lit view of the player's face, eyes, and immediate line of sight.

● Secondary Feed: A mobile device or external camera authenticated via the Proctor QR code, positioned at a 30-to-45-degree angle behind the player, clearly displaying the monitor screen, physical keyboard, desk space, and both hands.

Participants provide irrevocable consent to the continuous, real-time recording, streaming, and data logging of their device screen, ambient room audio, and video feeds by the Chess.com Proctor network. Disabling the proctor application, closing a video feed, or experiencing extended telemetry dropouts at any point during active competition results in immediate forfeiture of the match and tournament without appeal.

Article XI: ANTI-CHEATING POLICIES & ACCELERATED REVIEW

Following the conclusion of Swiss or matching tournament rounds, all player game files, accuracy metrics, and metadata are automatically processed through an accelerated algorithmic review engine to flag statistical anomalies.

In addition to automated filters, any participant in position to receive a cash prize must pass an exhaustive manual forensic audit conducted by the Chess.com Fair Play Team prior to the finalization of the tournament leaderboard.

Any player found to have utilized engine assistance, bot networks, external assistance, or physical collusion is financially liable to Skillhouse Masters Inc. for all resulting damages. This includes covering the costs of advanced forensic data analysis, legal fees, and compensating the organization for reputational harm and commercial disruption.

Article XII: CASH PRIZE REDEMPTION, TAXES, & DISBURSEMENT CONDITIONS

Tournament and match cash prizes are wholly separate from the platform's credit system. Winnings are never issued or deposited as credits, nor can they be injected into a user's credit wallet. Prize winnings are fully withdrawable and disbursed exclusively as cash via check, wire transfer, or direct deposit.

No prize allocations will be released or paid out during the immediate post-event window. All cash prizes remain strictly pending until the Chess.com Fair Play Team completes its deep manual audits, a process requiring a minimum holding window of 72 hours or longer depending on review volumes.

Prior to the approval of any prize distribution, winners must submit complete and valid tax documentation to our finance office (IRS Form W-9 for U.S. residents, or IRS Form W-8BEN for international residents).

Appearing on a temporary leaderboard or placing in an event does not confer any property right or entitlement to a cash payment. To qualify for a prize disbursement, a player must fulfill all the following requirements at the time of payout:

● Maintain a platform status of Confirmed or Comped, with zero active disqualifications or unresolved integrity investigations.

● Have competed exclusively under the identical Chess.com username linked to their Skillhouse account profile.

● Successfully clear Didit identity verification checks.

● Maintain full compliance with the dual-camera proctoring protocol throughout the entire event.

● Receive clean, unconditional forensic clearance from the Chess.com Fair Play Team.

● Submit valid, complete tax forms within the designated deadline.

Article XIII: CODE OF CONDUCT & PLATFORM ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

You are personally and legally responsible for your behavior, chat interactions, and communications across the Skillhouse platform and linked tournament hubs. You must conduct yourself in a respectful, lawful manner. The Organizer reserves the right to issue warnings, temporary bans, or permanent account terminations for any behavior that violates these standards.

The following actions and behaviors are strictly prohibited on the platform:

● Profanity and Harassment: Using abusive, profane, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, violent, or threatening language, or using asterisks or masking characters to disguise forbidden words.

● Impersonation and Deception: Impersonating another player, an administrator, or coordinating scams to obtain user credentials or account profiles.

● Commercial Exploitation: Attempting to utilize platform communications, tournaments, or user directories for commercial advertising, marketing business ventures, or generating profit outside authorized channels.

● System Disruption: Attempting to inject macros, automated scripts, advanced formatting codes, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or harmful programming commands into platform message boxes or database infrastructures.

● IP Infringement: Transmitting or uploading copyrighted or trademarked materials in messages, filings, or postings without explicit authorization.

Browser or device-level GPS permission is mandatory to sign up and to join tournaments. If permission is denied, your access is hard-blocked. You are strictly prohibited from utilizing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), proxy servers, tor routing networks, location spoofers, or any tools designed to manipulate your true physical geographic location. You may not provide false or misleading address data, nor may you access the platform on behalf of individuals located within Prohibited Jurisdictions.

● Location Flagging: If our security telemetry detects a mismatch between your network IP location and your device GPS location, your account will trigger an internal flag for manual fraud review. While under review, your ability to join new tournaments may be temporarily suspended. Confirmed location spoofing will result in immediate contract sanctions, disqualification, and fines up to $1,000 USD per Article XIV.

Article XIV: ADMINISTRATIVE SANCTIONS & CORPORATE FINES

If the Organizer determines, in its sole discretion, that you have violated the location fraud policies (including VPN utilization), engaged in targeted community harassment, or manipulated matching results, you will be subject to immediate contract sanctions. The Organizer holds the express contractual right to levy an administrative fine of up to $1,000 USD per violation directly against you.

Upon the occurrence of any material conduct breach, any tournament entry allocations, credit wallet balances, pending prizes, or account balances held by the organization are instantly and completely forfeited. These funds and virtual assets will be retained by Skillhouse to offset the administrative costs of investigating the abuse and maintaining platform security.

Article XV: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & DIGITAL ASSET OWNERSHIP

All content, branding, digital code, design layouts, trade dress, symbols, logos, and the overarching "look and feel" of the Skillhouse Masters portal, software applications, and tournament interfaces are the exclusive proprietary property of Skillhouse Masters Inc. Your use of the platform confers a limited, personal, non-exclusive, revocable license to access services for recreational purposes; no ownership rights are transferred.

To the extent that the platform enables the generation, assignment, or use of digital profiles, customized avatars, virtual trophies, achievement badges, or internal rank indicators, all such items are owned exclusively by the Organizer. You hereby assign all right, title, and interest in platform-generated Digital Assets to Skillhouse in perpetuity. Any attempt to sell, trade, or commercially transfer an account or its digital assets will result in immediate termination.

If the platform allows you to submit or customize public content, such as a profile bio, comment, or picture, you grant Skillhouse a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to use and display that content. To protect the platform as it adds new features, copyright owners who believe their intellectual property has been infringed may submit a formal take-down request to our designated agent at legalsupport@skillhousemasters.com in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Article XVI: BROADCASTING & RIGHTS OF PUBLICITY

Because Skillhouse Masters events are actively streamed, filmed, recorded, and publicly broadcasted, your entry into any tournament constitutes your agreement to a comprehensive media release. You hereby grant to the Organizer and its media partners an absolute, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to capture, print, publish, broadcast, stream, and use your legal name, submitted username, picture, voice, video likeness, match performance records, and biographical statements across any and all media networks now known or developed in the future, for marketing, promotional, and commercial broadcasting operations without compensation.

Article XVII: LIMITATION OF LIABILITY & DOCUMENT SURVIVAL

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, UNDER NO LEGAL THEORY (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE) SHALL SKILLHOUSE MASTERS INC., ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL. THE MAXIMUM AGGREGATE FINANCIAL LIABILITY OF THE ORGANIZER TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR CONNECTED TO THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF:

● (A) TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($25.00) USD, OR

● (B) THE EXACT TOTAL AMOUNT OF USD ACTUALLY PAID FOR THE CREDIT PACKAGES OR ENTRY FEE CREDITS SPENT ON THE SPECIFIC EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

Nothing within these Terms shall operate to limit or exclude the Organizer's liability for death or personal physical injury directly and proximately caused by the Organizer's proven gross negligence or willful misconduct.

Your legal obligations, representations, and warranties, along with the provisions of Article XIV (Fines), Article XV (IP), Article XVII (Liability Limits), and Article XIX (Arbitration), shall fully survive any voluntary cancellation, deactivation, or forced termination of your account.

Article XVIII: LIVE BRACKET OPERATIONS & TECHNICAL DISRUPTION GUARDRAILS

All live tournament brackets consist of multiple rounds of head-to-head matches dependent on real-time internet data transmissions. Participants acknowledge and agree that internet latency, local connection dropouts, or device lag may negatively impact gameplay scoring. The Organizer is completely insulated from liability for any match score alterations, time forfeits, or bracket placements resulting from a participant's technical connectivity issues.

In the event of an enterprise server crash, critical software malfunction, platform-wide bug, or technical anomaly, the Organizer reserves the sole, exclusive discretion to void, rescore, or completely reset and replay any affected match round or bracket tier.

While bracket software attempts to pair players dynamically based on performance ceilings, the Organizer explicitly disclaims any guarantee of skill parity, connection speed equity, or specific match outcomes. All matchmaking assignments, randomized "byes," or pass-through bracket selections are final, authoritative, and completely unappealable.

If a participant fails to actively appear, connect their dual-camera proctoring stream, or submit an authoritative game score within the designated round window, the match is designated an automatic forfeit. The non-appearing player's entry credits are spent and forfeited, their match status is categorized as "Aborted," and their paired opponent will automatically advance through the bracket structure.

Leaderboards and prize distributions are considered strictly provisional until the final bracket concludes and the full forensic audit is signed off. The Organizer reserves the right to withhold, delay, or permanently strip prizes from any account suspected of match-fixing, bracket exploitation, or intentional score manipulation.

Article XIX: DISPUTE RESOLUTION, AAA ARBITRATION, & ASYMMETRIC FEE SHIFTING

These Terms, your platform interaction, and all disputes arising out of your relationship with Skillhouse shall be governed by, construed, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Wyoming, without regard to choice of law principles. Any dispute or legal interaction not subject to binding arbitration must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Wyoming, and you consent to personal jurisdiction therein.

Before initiating any formal legal action or arbitration demand, you and the Organizer agree to attempt to resolve the matter informally. You must submit a formal written "Notice of Dispute" detailing your legal name, contact information, facts of the claim, and specific remedy requested via tracked U.S. Mail to: Skillhouse Masters Inc., Attn: Legal Department, 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801. The parties shall engage in a good-faith resolution effort for sixty (60) days from the receipt date. Formal arbitration may only be requested after this 60-day window expires.

If an issue cannot be resolved through informal negotiations, the dispute shall be resolved exclusively through individual binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will be handled by a single neutral arbitrator, executed in the English language, and conducted telephonically or via remote electronic means to minimize expenses. The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) governs the interpretation and enforcement of this section.

EACH PARTY SHALL INITIALLY BEAR ITS OWN ATTORNEYS' FEES, COUNSEL COSTS, AND DISBURSEMENTS ARISING OUT OF AN ARBITRATION PROCEEDING, AND THE PARTICIPANT SHALL PAY AN EQUAL SHARE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEES AND ARBITRATOR COSTS OF THE AAA. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL A PARTICIPANT BE ENTITLED TO REIMBURSEMENT, AN AWARD, OR SHIFTING OF THEIR ATTORNEYS' FEES, LEGAL EXPENSES, EXPERT WITNESS FEES, OR FORUM FEES FROM THE ORGANIZER, EVEN IF THE PARTICIPANT PREVAILS ON THE MERITS OR IS AWARDED A DAMAGES JUDGMENT BY THE ARBITRATOR. CONVERSELY, IF SKILLHOUSE MASTERS INC. IS THE PREVAILING PARTY IN THE ARBITRATION PROCEEDING, THE ARBITRATOR SHALL AUTHORIZE THE ORGANIZER TO RECOVER FROM THE PARTICIPANT ALL OF ITS REASONABLE OUTSIDE ATTORNEYS' FEES, ADMINISTRATIVE FORUM COSTS, ARBITRATOR REIMBURSEMENTS, AND ALL ASSOCIATED LITIGATION DISBURSEMENTS INCURRED DURING THE ARBITRATION.

To ensure efficient dispute management, if twenty-five (25) or more similar arbitration demands against Skillhouse are submitted by or with the coordination of the same law firm, group, or organization, the AAA Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules shall automatically apply. The AAA Process Administrator shall batch individual demands into coordinated groups of no more than fifty (50) claims per batch. Each batch shall be resolved before a single arbitrator under a single consolidated fee schedule. This batching framework must proceed sequentially; no individual arbitration demands falling within a mass filing may be advanced, evaluated, or arbitrated until preceding batches are finalized.

Article XX: MISCELLANEOUS CORPORATE BOILERPLATE

These Terms represent the complete, absolute integration of the agreement between you and Skillhouse Masters Inc. regarding tournament operations, fully superseding any prior verbal arrangements, promotional claims, email chains, or marketing copy.

The Organizer retains the unrestricted right to assign, delegate, or transfer this contract, in whole or in part, along with all associated platform data, transaction records, and digital assets, to any corporate entity without notice to you, including during corporate mergers, acquisitions, sales of assets, or restructuring events. You are strictly blocked from assigning your rights or transferring your account profile to any other person.

Any failure by the Organizer to strictly enforce a specific performance provision or rule within these Terms does not constitute a waiver or relinquishment of its right to enforce that provision or any other clause in the future.

The provisions of these Terms are fully severable. If any particular paragraph, fine specification, or fee-shifting sub-clause is ruled invalid, illegal, or completely unenforceable by an arbitrator or court of competent jurisdiction, that specific provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid. The invalidity of that narrow sub-provision shall have absolutely zero impact on the validity, enforcement, and binding nature of all remaining terms.

By registering an account and submitting your email address, you grant explicit consent for the Organizer to deliver legally required updates, credit transaction receipts (package purchases, hold placements, and final spend deductions), tournament notifications, and policy adjustments electronically to your inbox. Electronic notices are deemed received immediately upon transmission by our email servers. If you wish to revoke consent for electronic communications, you must delete your account and withdraw from active rosters.

• Participant Acknowledgment: By clicking "I Accept," creating an account profile, purchasing credits, or entering any Skillhouse Masters tournament, you confirm that you have read these Terms in their entirety, understand your obligations, and agree to be legally bound by this Wyoming contract.