Chess Grandmaster, 17, Accused of Assaulting Woman After Defeat

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A young chess grandmaster from St. He was expelled from the 2024 U.S. Championships after allegedly assaulting a woman after losing a competition in St. Louis. People reported.

Christopher Yoo, 17, lost to four-time American chess champion Fabiano Caruana on October 16. Following the loss, Saint Louis Chess Club

“Head referee Chris Bird expelled Yoo from the tournament for serious violations of our code of conduct and the US Chess Safe Play Policy,” the statement said. “The Saint Louis Chess Club fully supports this decision and has banned Yoo from the club.” The venue stated that the cameraman was provided “immediate assistance” by staff at the scene. Yoo was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault before being handed over to one of his parents.

“Players scheduled to face Yoo in the remaining rounds will be given a farewell and will be given an additional rest day,” the statement said. “We take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards. We took swift action to resolve this situation by ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone participating in the tournament.”

On October 21, Yoo issued an apology. “I'm really sorry for hitting the camera. I was disappointed and lost my temper when I lost the game to Caruana. It's not an 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 take it back, but I can't. What I did “I'm very sorry about what happened and I hope the cameraman is okay, I know what I did was not acceptable,” Yoo said.

“The only thing I can do from now on is to get better. I promise it won't happen again,” Yoo continued. “Good luck to Caruana. I'm sorry this happened after the match. Good luck to the other players and best wishes to the St. Louis Chess Club.”

Yoo's parents also released a statement, saying: “Christopher is not very good with words and expressing emotions, but his remorse is very real.” In a separate statement dated October 18, Yoo's parents explained that the teenager “will receive therapy to ensure his mental health is properly cared for and that nothing like this will happen again.”

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