A teenage chess grandmaster was arrested after assaulting a female videographer after losing a game at the U.S. Chess Championship.
Last Wednesday, 17-year-old chess grandmaster Christopher Yoo was defeated by defending champion Fabiano Caruana at the U.S. Chess Championship in St Louis, Missouri.
17-year-old Christopher Yoo has been expelled from the #USChessChamps after an incident following his Round 5 loss to Fabiano Caruana! https://t.co/G0s7KKwfIr pic.twitter.com/Te5n3XeWQo
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 17, 2024
Yoo had been defeated by American chess great Fabiano Caruana, leaving the teen with just one point from his opening five games.
Yoo reportedly reacted to the loss by tearing his scoresheet and storming out of the hall.
He is then alleged to have struck a female videographer while exiting the playing hall. Police say Yoo struck the 24-year-old videographer in the back with his fist.
According to ABC News, the U.S. Chess Federation says Yoo was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault, before being released back to his parents.
The federation says Yoo will now be handled by the juvenile justice system in Missouri.
In a statement, the tournament’s host Saint Louis Chess Club say it has expelled Yoo from the competition and banned him from the facility for his “gross violation of code of conduct and the US chess safe place policy.”
In a statement released by his parents on Facebook, Yoo made a lengthy apology for his actions and said there was no excuse for his conduct.
“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,” Yoo says in the statement.
“I am 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.”
ABC News reports that Yoo secured his place in the tournament by winning the US Junior Chess Championship earlier this year. A chess prodigy from a young age, Yoo became an American master at just nine years old in 2016 and achieved the title of international master by the age of 12.
The incident comes a little over a month after Argentine professional soccer goalie Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was accused of slapping a television cameraman during Argentina’s defeat in Colombia during World Cup qualifying.
