Cancellation & Refund Policy

1. Cancellation Schedule & Refund Eligibility

Upon successful registration on birsachess.com, participants are bound by the following statutory cancellation schedule:

2. Event Cancellation by Organizer (Full Refund Guaranteed)

• Automatic Full Refund: Every registered participant who has paid the official entry fee will receive a 100% refund of the total amount paid.
• Processing Window: The refund will be initiated by our organizing office within 48 hours of the official cancellation announcement, and will be credited to the player's account within 5 to 7 business days, subject to standard bank and payment gateway settlement cycles.
• Source Account Credit: Refunds will be routed strictly back to the original payment method utilized during registration (e.g., the original UPI ID, debit/credit card, or net banking account). Cash refunds will not be issued.

3. Event Postponement & Schedule Modifications

If a tournament date, round schedule, or venue hall is rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances:

• Existing registrations will automatically remain valid for the newly announced rescheduled dates.
• If a registered player is unable to participate on the rescheduled date, the player or guardian may submit a formal withdrawal request via email to contact@birsachess.com within 48 hours of the postponement notification.
• Upon verification of genuine scheduling conflict, Birsa Chess Foundation will initiate a full refund of the entry fee within 5–7 business days.

4. Circumstances Ineligible for Refund

Refunds will NOT be entertained or granted under the following circumstances:

• Player Absenteeism (No-Show): Failure of the participant to report to the venue or assigned board for any or all rounds.
• Voluntary Withdrawal: Player deciding to withdraw from the tournament prior to or midway during the tournament rounds.
• Disqualification & Forfeits: Expulsion from the tournament by the Chief Arbiter due to disciplinary infractions, anti-cheating violations, possession of unauthorized electronic apparatus, or unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Document Falsification: Inability to produce valid age verification or presenting fraudulent date of birth documentation during on-site scrutiny.
• Personal Travel Disruptions: Flight/train cancellations, road traffic, or personal illness that prevents the player from attending.

5. Duplicate Transactions & Network Failures

During peak registration hours, occasional network disconnects or bank gateway timeouts may occur:

• Duplicate Charge: If your bank account was debited multiple times for a single registration pass, our payment gateway reconciler will automatically identify the excess charge. If not automatically refunded by your bank within 24 hours, notify our desk with your transaction reference. We will process the duplicate refund within 5–7 business days.
• Debited Without Confirmation: If funds were deducted from your account but birsachess.com did not render a successful registration pass, the payment gateway usually reverses the charge within 3 to 5 banking days. If the payment settles in our account, we will either manually confirm your entry pass or immediately initiate a full refund upon your instruction.

6. How to Submit a Refund Claim

For eligible cancellation or duplicate payment refund claims, email our finance team with the following details:

Send claims to: support@birsachess.com or contact@birsachess.com with subject line "REFUND CLAIM: [Order ID] - [Player Name]".

7. Chargeback & Grievance Policy

We encourage participants and parents to contact our official support desk directly before initiating a chargeback or dispute with their card-issuing bank or UPI application. Unjustified chargebacks filed for attended tournaments or non-refundable voluntary withdrawals will be contested with registration logs, IP logs, and tournament hall attendance records.