Account & sign-in
Why did my sign-up fail?
The sign-up form always shows its reason on screen. The most common ones:
- "Username is already taken" — another player already has that name. Names are not case-sensitive, so Rudi and rudi count as the same.
- "Username 3-20 characters" — only letters, numbers, dots, underscores, and hyphens. Spaces and emoji aren't accepted.
- "Email is required" or "Invalid email format" — an email address is the only way to recover an account, so it can't be skipped.
- Password shorter than 6 characters.
- Email is already registered — you've signed up with that address before. Just sign in, or use Forgot Password.
- "Too many sign-ups from this network" — one network is limited to five sign-ups per hour so this page can't be used to flood people's inboxes. Wait a while, or switch from WiFi to mobile data.
My account is created, but I can't play yet
Verify your email first. Until your address is proven readable, the board won't open — including for paid accounts. The email is titled verification and arrives a few seconds after signing up.
The email didn't arrive? Check the Spam folder and the Promotions tab first — almost all of them end up there. If it's still missing, request a resend from the Account page. Resend requests are limited to three per 15 minutes, so pressing it repeatedly actually slows things down.
I forgot my password
Open Forgot Password, enter the email you signed up with, then click the link we send. The link is single-use and expires; if it has expired, request a new one.
That page always gives the same answer — "If that email is registered, a reset link has been sent to it" — whether the address is registered or not. That's deliberate: different answers would let people use this page to check who has an account here.
Accounts created with Sign in with Google don't have a password you typed yourself. Sign in with the Google button, then set a password from the Account page if you want one.
Why did I get a "new device" email when signing in from another phone?
Because that sign-in came from a type of device never used on your account before. The email contains the device name (for example "Chrome on Android"), the IP address, and the time. If it was you, there's nothing to do — the email is just a notice.
If it wasn't you, change your password right away from the Account page. Changing the password is what actually shuts the door — that's why the email offers it, rather than a "this wasn't me" button that does nothing. The full list of devices used to sign in is included in the Download my data file, and on the Account page.
An account's first device is never reported, and this email is only sent to verified addresses.
Account name & region
How many times can I change my account name?
Once per account lifetime. After that allowance is used, the button remains but the request is refused with the message "Your username can only be changed once, and you've already used it."
The reason: a player's name is attached to their whole game history, leaderboards, tournament invitations, and friends lists. A name that could change at any time would make the same player hard to recognize from one game to the next.
The new name must still be 3–20 characters and not already taken. Names containing insults, pornography, or impersonating Katuranga's administrators may be changed by us without prior notice — see the Terms of Service.
I picked the wrong region. Can I change it?
The first choice is made at sign-up. After that you get exactly one correction — via the Account page.
Once that correction is used, the region is locked. Province and regency leaderboards only mean something if people can't move to wherever their name would sit at the top. If it's really wrong, email us with your username and the correct region.
A few other things often asked at the same time:
- A GPS point is only recorded once per account. A second one doesn't overwrite the first. Denying location permission in your browser doesn't block anything — you can still pick your region from the list.
- Outside Indonesia, only the country is stored, because the province and regency list we use is Indonesia's.
- The flag next to your name follows that stored country.
Payments & plans
How do I pay?
Choose a plan and its duration on the Plans page. From there you're taken to Midtrans's payment page, where you pick the method: QRIS, GoPay, ShopeePay, bank Virtual Account, credit/debit card, or retail outlets. Your card number, PIN, and e-wallet balance never reach our servers.
Prices are shown in Rupiah before you pay, and the price that applies is the one shown when the order is created. Purchases inside the Android app are billed by Google Play, which converts that price to the currency of your Play account's country.
Do plans renew automatically?
No. Plans stop on their own on their end date and the account returns to Standard. There's nothing to cancel, and no bills arrive unexpectedly.
Can a completed purchase be cancelled?
No. Plan benefits activate instantly once payment is valid — allowances increase and features unlock that very second. So purchases are final: no cancellations and no refunds for an active plan, including if it's rarely used later or the wrong duration was picked.
There's one exception, covered in the next question: money was taken but the plan didn't upgrade. Purchases through Google Play follow Google Play's refund policy, and accounts suspended for cheating don't receive a refund for the remaining plan period.
I've paid, but my account hasn't upgraded
Almost always this is a delay of a few seconds between the money moving and the payment gateway's notice reaching us. The right order of steps:
1. Don't close the payment page. While the status is pending, that page asks the payment gateway on its own every few seconds and updates itself as soon as the money arrives. No need to pay twice.
2. If you already closed the page, open the Checkout — at the bottom there's a Purchase history with each order's status, and pending statuses are rechecked with the payment gateway when that page opens.
3. If the status is already paid but the menus haven't changed, reload the page once (Ctrl+F5). What's lagging behind is usually the display, not the plan.
4. If after 15 minutes the status is still pending even though money was taken, email support@katuranga.com with the order number, username, payment time, and proof of payment. We'll fix the plan, or refund the payment.
If you paid through the Android app, also include the Google Play order number Google sent to your email.
Cheating & sanctions
Black card: cheat once, you're out of the league
Katuranga doesn't give yellow cards for cheating. What's forbidden and leads to sanctions:
- Using chess engines, live opening books, or help from other people in rated games.
- Multiple accounts or crony accounts to arrange results, raise ratings, or fill tournaments.
- Gaming Invite Friends with fake accounts, emulators, or the same person repeatedly.
- Disrupting the service with large volumes of automated requests.
If proven: game results are voided, ratings reset, prizes and commission revoked, and the account suspended or deleted — with no refund for the remaining plan period. We refund rating points to affected players as far as the game records still exist, and they're notified in their Inbox.
Playing against bots in the Play Bot menu is of course not cheating — the bots are opponents we provide, and their results aren't mixed with human-versus-human ratings. More in the Terms of Service.
I think my opponent used an engine
Email us the game link and your opponent's name. We read that game with our own checking tools — including how often the moves exactly match the engine's first choice in positions that are not forced. Accusations are never decided by numbers alone; a person always reviews it, because wrongly accusing someone costs more than acting late.
My account was suspended, but I don't think I did it
Reply to the suspension message in your Inbox, or email us from the address registered on that account with your username and explanation. For minor violations, we give a warning before suspending.
Cookies, security & ads
What cookies does Katuranga use?
One session cookie — a marker that you're signed in. Without it, the site couldn't tell you apart from other visitors a second later. This cookie is read by no one except our server and isn't used to follow you to other sites.
In addition, your browser stores a few small choices on your device — language, board color, piece set, and the last page you opened. This isn't sent to us and disappears as soon as you clear the site's data. Clearing site data also means signing out in that browser.
Does Katuranga show ads?
There are currently no ads on Katuranga, on the website or in the app, and no advertiser scripts run on these pages. If we ever start showing ads, it will be announced first and the Privacy Policy updated the same day — including which cookies come with them.
What data do you store, and how do I delete it?
Everything is listed one by one in the Privacy Policy — including devices used to sign in, payment orders, and how long IP address logs are kept. To delete your account and its data, use the Delete account page; deletion has a 7-day grace period and can still be cancelled during that period.