Dec 27, 2023 at 1:13 PM Update: 2 days ago
There has once again been a commotion in the chess world about alleged foul play. Chinese champion Yan Chenglong is said to have received signals via a sex toy during his matches. Yan has also been suspended for a year for defecating in a hotel bathtub.
The 48-year-old Yan was crowned national champion of Xiangqi (Chinese chess) on Monday, but things went wrong during the festivities afterwards. Yan defecated in a bathtub in front of several people present under the influence of alcohol.
This earned him an official charge for disturbing public order and “showing extremely bad character”. The Chinese Xiangqi Federation also decided to strip Yan’s title and confiscate his prize money. Yan was also suspended for one year.
The federation has also launched an investigation into alleged foul play through the use of anal beads. Shortly after his victory, rumors arose that Yan had used anal beads during his match.
Through this bead Yan would have received information about the best moves. A computer would have advised him in the form of vibrations. “But for the time being we have not yet been able to prove those accusations,” the chess federation said.
Chinese chess is different from traditional chess
Chinese chess, or Xiangqi, differs slightly from traditional chess. The game is played on a board of nine columns and ten checkers. Chinese chess is one of the most popular sports in the world with more than a billion players and is mainly played in China and Southeast Asia.
There has been a fuss about cheating before
It is not the first time that the chess world has been rocked by rumors of cheating. Multiple world champion Magnus Carlsen accused American talent Hans Niemann of this last year.
There was then a bizarre rumor on social media that Niemann did this via anal beads. This would have given him signals for the best move. Niemann always strongly denied this. He even offered to sit naked behind the chessboard to prove his innocence.
Beeld: Getty Images
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