Terms & Conditions
Last updated: October 27, 2026
1 · Who we are
BabelChess is a brand of chessboards with original designs and illustrations, released in themed editions. The website babelchess.com and the sale of the boards are run by Eduardo A Lizardo, operating as a sole proprietor under the business name BabelChess, registered in the Town of Concord, Massachusetts, United States, with a business address at PO Box 692, Concord, MA 01742. For any question about these terms or about an order, you can write to us at info@babelchess.com.
In these terms, “we,” “us” and “our” refer to BabelChess, and “you” and “your” refer to the person placing the order.
2 · What you accept when you buy
By placing an order on babelchess.com you accept these Terms & Conditions. Our Shipping, Returns & Refunds and Privacy Policy pages also apply and form part of this agreement.
To buy, you must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a contract.
If you do not agree with any part of these terms, please do not place an order.
These terms and the pages that form part of them are published in English and Spanish. If there is any difference between the two versions, the English version prevails.
3 · The boards
Each BabelChess board is designed, printed and then finished by hand, one at a time, in Concord, Massachusetts.
Each edition is produced in twenty-five numbered copies. Once they are complete, it is not reprinted.
Numbers are assigned in order of purchase: the first order receives number 1, the second number 2, and so on until the edition is complete. The number cannot be chosen or changed.
Because the work is done by hand, every copy is different. There may be differences in color and tone from one board to another and compared with the photographs on the site; variations in the alignment of the squares, in the fold and in the edges; and irregularities inherent to lamination. On personalized boards, the position and tone of the lettering may vary from one copy to another. All of this is part of the craft and is not considered a defect.
The images on the site are representative of the product. Colors may look different depending on the screen you view them on.
4 · How an order is placed
Your order is an offer to buy. The contract between us is formed when we accept that order, not before.
We may decline or cancel an order at our discretion, and in that case we refund you in full. For example:
- if there was an obvious error in the price or the description;
- if we cannot produce the board;
- if the edition has sold out;
- if we have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud;
- if the personalization text is not acceptable to us, under section 6.
5 · Prices, taxes and payment
Prices are in US dollars, and the price that applies is the one shown on the site when you place your order.
Prices do not include sales tax. Where it applies, it is added at checkout and shown before you confirm payment.
Payment is processed by a third-party provider. We never see or store your card number.
The information we do keep to manage your order — your name, your email and your shipping address — is handled under our Privacy Policy.
6 · Personalization
6.1 · What can be personalized
You can order your board with any of these options:
- your initial on the back cover, alone or with a name below it, up to 20 characters;
- initials inside the board, on squares a1 and h8: the same one on both or two different ones, at different prices;
- a line of your choice, up to 120 characters, in place of the line along the edge.
The price of each option is shown on the product page.
6.2 · You write the text
Everything you write — initials, name or line — is your personalization text, and it is printed exactly as written.
We do not correct the spelling or grammar of what you send us. There are valid reasons to write a name or a word in an unusual way, and we will not assume which one is yours. Check it before you confirm it.
6.3 · The preview and your confirmation
You get two chances to review your personalization before you pay.
The preview. When you finish choosing, the site shows you how your board would look. It is an approximate representation, meant to help you picture your order: colors may look different depending on your screen, and the final position and size may differ slightly from the printed result. If something doesn’t look right, you can go back and change it.
The text. Before you pay, you see what you wrote again, exactly as it will be printed, and you can edit it. This is not a review on our part: no one corrects or interprets it.
Read it carefully. Confirming it is your approval, and we keep it with your order.
6.4 · If you made a mistake
You have 24 hours to correct the text, counted from the time shown on your order confirmation email. Write to us at info@babelchess.com within that time and we will change it.
After 24 hours, your board goes into production and what you confirmed is considered correct and final: it can no longer be changed.
6.5 · Your responsibility for the text
By sending us a personalization text, you represent and warrant that:
- the text is yours or you are authorized to use it;
- it does not infringe anyone’s copyright, trademarks, publicity rights or privacy;
- it is not unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, hateful or obscene.
You agree to hold us harmless from any claim, loss or expense arising from the text you provided.
Before completing your order, we ask you to confirm this expressly by checking the corresponding box on the personalization form.
6.6 · We may decline a text
We may decline any personalization text at our discretion and without having to explain why. If we do, we refund you in full.
6.7 · Personalized boards are final sale
A personalized board carries your name, your initials or your line in print, and cannot be sold to anyone else. That is why it cannot be returned or exchanged for a change of mind, as detailed on the Returns & Refunds page.
This does not affect damage in transit or our own errors, which are always covered.
7 · Production and timing
We start working on your order 24 hours after confirmation, once it has been paid and accepted under section 4. For personalized orders, that includes the text you approved.
Production takes 7 to 10 business days, plus transit time. This is a good-faith estimate, not a guarantee.
8 · Shipping
Shipping terms, destinations and how delays are handled are set out on the Shipping page.
If a package is returned to BabelChess because no one picked it up, because the address entered is incorrect or incomplete, or for any other reason beyond our control and the carrier’s, delivery is considered fulfilled and the terms on our Shipping page apply.
9 · Returns and refunds
The deadlines for reporting damage, the conditions for returning a board and how money is refunded are set out on the Returns & Refunds page.
Within 24 hours of confirmation, you can cancel your order and receive a full refund. If you want to change it within that time — for example, to add personalization — just reply to your order confirmation email. If the change affects the price, we charge or refund the difference. After 24 hours, the order is final.
10 · Intellectual property
The illustrations, designs, ornamental letters, photographs, site texts and the BabelChess name belong to us.
Buying a board gives you ownership of that copy, not rights to the artwork printed on it. You may resell it if you wish, but you may not reproduce, scan or copy it, or use it to make derivative products.
The literary works quoted on the boards belong to their respective authors or rights holders.
The personalization text you send us remains yours. We claim no rights over it beyond permission to reproduce it on your board, and we are not responsible for its content, under section 6.5.
11 · The site
We try to keep the information on the site accurate and up to date, but it may contain errors or omissions, which we correct as soon as we find them.
We do not guarantee that the site will be available without interruption.
12 · Limitation of liability
Our maximum liability to you, for any matter related to an order, is the amount you paid for it.
We are not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential damages, such as a lost opportunity or a gift that does not arrive on time.
Nothing above limits any liability that the law does not allow to be excluded.
13 · Circumstances beyond our control
We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events or by acts of third parties beyond our reasonable control, such as postal or courier service interruptions, strikes, power or internet outages, failures of suppliers or of platforms the site depends on, severe weather, government restrictions or shortages of materials. If something like this happens, we will let you know and agree with you on a new date or a refund.
14 · Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.
Any dispute will be submitted to the courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
15 · Changes to these terms
We may change these terms at any time. The version that applies to your purchase is the one published on the day you place your order. The date of the last update appears at the top.
16 · Contact
BabelChess · PO Box 692, Concord, MA 01742, United States