A teenage chess grandmaster was briefly taken into custody for striking a woman videographer after losing a game to the world No 2.
Christopher Yoo, 17, had a violent outburst after losing the US Chess Championship to defending champion Fabiano Caruana last Wednesday.
He reacted by destroying his scoresheet, storming out of the hall and hitting a videographer in a meltdown captured on video. The video was released to the public.
Christopher and his family have since issued two separate apologies, offering no excuse for his actions.
The tournament’s host, Saint Louis Chess Club, expelled Christopher from the competition and banned him from the facility for his “gross violation of code of conduct and the US chess safe place policy”.
The tournament’s chief arbiter Chris Bird annulled the results of his previous games and issued “a bye” to all players who were supposed to face off with Christopher for the remainder of the competition.
"We take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards," the St Louis Chess Club stated in a statement.
"We acted swiftly to address this situation, ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone involved in the tournament."
Christopher Yoo, Fabiano Caruana’ya kaybettiği maçtan sonra sinirlerine hakim olamadı ve notasyon kağıdını yırttı. Yoo sonrasında ise kameramana saldırdığı gerekçesiyle turnuvadan diskalifiye edildi. pic.twitter.com/uw8PfgopVK
— Sabri Can Onay Yontar (@sabopasha) October 17, 2024
The US Chess Federation said Christopher was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault. He was released back to his parents and the matter sent to juvenile court.
Police said Christopher struck the woman, 24, in the back with his fist.
His parents issued a lengthy apology and said “Christopher wants to publicly apologise to the female videographer that was an innocent victim of his anger”.
“Contrary to what some have suggested, the videographer did nothing to provoke Christopher,” it added.
“Christopher offers no excuses for his behaviour. He is just very sad and ashamed he behaved in that way.”
"All I can do is to be better from now on. I promise that this won't happen again," said Christopher Yoo in a statement after his expulsion from the #USChessChamps. pic.twitter.com/k920LX91hM
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 22, 2024
The teenager was “genuinely remorseful” as he “tearfully apologised” to the executive director of the chess club, the parents said.
“Many people have expressed concerns about the mental well-being of our 17-year old son. As parents we more than share their concern. Something like this has never happened before and he will be getting therapy to help make sure his mental well-being is properly cared for and that something like this will not happen again.”
Christopher issued a separate apology, saying: “I am really sorry for hitting the videographer. I was disappointed losing the game to Caruana and lost my temper. That’s no excuse, I know. I’m really sorry for what I did. It was a serious mistake. Every day I wish I could go back in time and undo it, but I can’t. I am very sad for what I did and I hope the videographer is OK."
Christopher is a chess prodigy who became the youngest American master at nine years of age in 2016. He became an international master at the age of 12.
The world of chess has garnered global headlines of late for controversies including the poisoning of an opponent, cheating and violent behaviour.
A Russian chess champion, Amina Abakarova, 43, was caught on a security camera appearing to smear her rival’s pieces with a substance ahead of a tournament in Makhachkala in August.
US chess prodigy Hans Niemann was accused of cheating by world champion Magnus Carlsen after beating him in a game. An investigation has since found it was “likely” he cheated in more than 100 games online.
A 48-year-old Chinese chess champion has been stripped of his title and had his prize money withdrawn over allegations of defecating in a bath and cheating by using an anal messaging device.
