Chess champion's response after being stripped of title for defecating in bathub

05 January 2024 , 21:51

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Yang Chenglong, named "Chess (Xiangqi) King" in China, had his prize money withdrawn and was then accused of pooing in a bathtub (Image: Supplied)

A Chinese chess player claims to have suffered mental distress after being stripped of his title for using the bathtub of his hotel as a toilet.

Yan Chenglong does not deny that he defecated in the tub, but in a civil suit against the Chinese chess association that was lodged this week, he claims he simply drank a moderate amount of alcohol to celebrate the win with other players.

He says he then ate some food, which gave him a dodgy tummy, and he was unable to make it to the toilet in time.

His complaint came a week after the Chinese Xiangqi Association posted details of the incident on social media. After an investigation, it had been found that Yan had damaged hotel property, violated public order and good behaviour, which had a negative impact on the tournament.

Chinese chess, called xiangqi in Chinese, is a traditional board game that remains popular, particularly among older people. Neighborhood residents play in parks and along sidewalks, often with small crowds gathered around to watch.

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Yan's complaint - which demands that the association apologize, restore his reputation in the media and pay him 100,000 yuan (£11,072) in damages - was mailed to a court in central China's Henan province on Monday, according to a post on Yan's social media account.

The post includes photos of the six pages of the complaint and an envelope with an express mail sticker addressed to a court in central China's Henan province. Calls to the Chinese Xiangqi Association weren't answered on Thursday and Friday. The chess association said in its post that it had also looked into reports that Yan had cheated during the tournament but was unable to confirm them.

It's not the only scandal to hit the Chess world in recent years. A chess prodigy who became infamous after being accused of using a vibrating sex toy in his bottom denied the allegations and countersued his accusers.

American teen Hans Niemann has now sued Chess.com and the Norwegian grandmaster who branded him a cheat for defamation, claiming they colluded to blacklist him from the game. Self-labelled King of Chess Magnus Carlsen, 31, was reportedly worried that the rising star would topple his multi-billion dollar empire after defeating him in September last year.

Internet chess server and networking site Chess.com followed up on the accusations in a statement a few weeks after the incident, claiming that it was "likely" that the 19-year-old had cheated in hundreds of games.

Ryan Fahey