Fair Play & Argus

What Argus Is

Argus is ChessBit's fair-play system. Every staked game is analyzed after it ends, off the live path, so nothing slows your game down. It layers several independent kinds of evidence:

• Engine analysis: every move compared against strong-engine play (Stockfish) and against what a human at your rating is expected to find.
• Statistical models: accuracy, critical-move performance and timing measured against your own history and rating band.
• Behavioral and device signals: patterns across games, accounts and devices.
• Stake-aware weighting: the more money on the line, the more scrutiny a game gets. Cheaters can't "test the waters" cheaply.

One odd-looking game won't get anyone flagged; it takes several independent signals. If a game looks clearly engine-assisted, the account can be restricted straight away (no staked games or withdrawals) while a person reviews it. Ambiguous cases always go to a human.

Held Winnings

When a staked game has a winner, the winnings are held until Argus has checked the game. You'll see a "Checking your game" notification, and for a normal game the check finishes quickly. When it clears, you get a "Payout Released" notification and the winnings are in your balance.

• Only games with a winner are held. Draws and aborted games pay out straight away.
• Both players' stakes stay safe the whole time; nothing is lost while a game is being checked.
• If a game needs a closer look, the winnings wait for a person to review it. They're released when the review clears the game.
• The game-over card may already say the game is settled while the payout is still being checked. The notification is what tells you the money has landed.

If You're Flagged Wrongly

• Appeals: if your account is restricted, suspended or banned, you can appeal within 30 days by emailing appeals@chessbit.io with the subject line "Account Appeal — [your username]" and any evidence you'd like us to consider.
• If an appeal clears you, everything is restored: account, balance and record. Funds are only ever forfeited after the appeal window closes, with human sign-off.

If Your Opponent Cheated

You come out ahead, not behind:

• The game is voided and your full stake comes back, and ChessBit refunds its own fee, so we keep nothing on a voided game.
• If the cheater's winnings had already been paid out before we caught the game, you also receive a bonus equal to the fee the cheater paid.

Consequences for Cheating

Penalties range from a warning, to restrictions on your account while we review (no staked games or withdrawals), to a suspension or a permanent ban. A suspension or ban doesn't lift by itself after a set number of days, which is why the 30-day appeal window matters. Banned cheaters' dishonest winnings are clawed back, frozen funds compensate documented victims after the appeal window, and the identity behind the account (documents, payment methods, devices) is denylisted so they can't simply re-register.

Reporting a Suspected Cheater

Report privately, from the game, the post-game screen or a player's profile in the app, or via a ticket on Discord. Never accuse someone publicly: it's unfair to innocent players and doesn't speed up review. Outcomes are enforced; accusations are not shared.