Grandmaster chess player, Christopher Yoo, was expelled from the Saint Louis Chess Club and charged with fourth-degree assault after he became physical when he lost to an opponent.
On Wednesday, October 16, the fifth round of the U.S. Chess Championship made headlines after 17-year-old Yoo was defeated by Fabiano Caruana.
After losing the match, Yoo crumpled up his scoresheet and abruptly stormed out of the tournament hall.
During this, the Grandmaster punched a videographer in the back. Organizers of the tournament notified police, who confirmed the 17-year-old was charged with fourth-degree assault.
Yoo’s incident, however, caused him to be expelled from the U.S. Chess Championship for the remaining six rounds. The scores from his matches played will be declared invalid. Going forward, players’ standings will be adjusted accordingly.
The Saint Louis Chess Club, who hosts the tournament, followed up by releasing a statement regarding the dismissal of Yoo from their program.
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Saint Louis Chess Club official statement regarding the expelling of GM Christopher Yoo from the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship. pic.twitter.com/BvolnLYaQ5
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 17, 2024
“Chief Arbiter Chris Bird expelled Yoo from the tournament due to gross violations of our code of conduct and the U.S. chess safe play policy,” read the statement. “The Saint Louis Chess Club fully supports this decision and has banned Yoo from the club.”
“Players scheduled to face Yoo in the remaining rounds will receive a bye, granting them an additional rest day. We take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards. We acted swiftly to address this situation, ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone involved in the tournament.”
Yoo was released into the custody of a parent and the case will be handled by the juvenile courts.
In September, another grandmaster chess player was also banned from competing. After he was defeated during a Titled Tuesday match, the online host, Chess.com, expelled Vladimir Kramnik for accusing his opponents of cheating. Kramnik was banned from the site for one month due to violating the company’s community policy.
Just one month prior, the Russian Chess Federation suspended Amina Abakarova after she poisoned her opponent’s chess pieces. Additionally, Abakarova faces criminal charges for the “intentional infliction of bodily harm” and could potentially spend three years in jail.