A 17-year-old chess superstar has been arrested following a violent outburst that led to him being thrown out of the US Chess Championship in St Louis on Wednesday.
Christopher Yoo had been defeated by defending champion GM Fabiano Caruana, but appeared to react angrily to the defeat and was seen in a video posted online crumpling up his score sheet after the match, leaving the teenager with just one point in his first five games. .
He is said to have run out of the video room before hitting a cameraman in the back.
The St Louis Chess Club subsequently expelled Yoo from the tournament and banned him from the facility for his “serious violation of the US Chess Code of Conduct and Safe Venue Policy.”
The United States Chess Federation says the 17-year-old was charged with fourth-degree assault and was later released into the custody of his parents. The organization adds that “his case will be processed in the juvenile justice system.”
Police said Yoo hit the woman, 24, in the back with his fist.
His results from the event will now be voided and the US Chess Federation will add that those players who were due to face him will now receive a bye.
Yoo has since released a statement following the incident and admitted his remorse for hitting the cameraman, stating that he was “very sad for what I did” before adding, “I hope the cameraman is okay.”
“I’m really sorry for hitting the cameraman,” he said. “I was disappointed to lose the match against Caruana and I lost my temper. That’s no excuse, I know.
Christopher Yoo (left) was arrested following a violent incident at the US Chess Championship.
The 17-year-old allegedly punched a cameraman at the event after he lost a game.
‘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’m very sad for what I did and I hope the cameraman is okay. I know it’s not acceptable to do what I did. I accept the consequences of my actions.
‘The only thing I can do is be better from now on. I promise this will not happen again.
‘Good luck to Caruana. I’m sorry this happened after our game. And good luck to the other players and best wishes to the St. Louis Chess Club.
ST Louis Chess Club also took to social media to issue a statement regarding the incident.
“The St. Louis Chess Club immediately provided assistance to the cameraman and called the police, who responded,” the statement read.
Cheif referee Chris Bird expelled Yoo from the tournament due to serious violations of our code of conduct and the US Chess safe play policy.
“The Saint Louis Chess Club fully supports this decision and has excluded Yoo from the club.”
The statement added: “We take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards.” “We acted quickly to address this situation, ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone involved in the tournament.”
His parents also spoke out about the incident online, stating that their son had personally apologized to the cameraman.
“First and foremost, Christopher wants to publicly apologize to the cameraman who was an innocent victim of his anger after losing a chess game,” the statement said.
‘Contrary to what some have suggested, the cameraman did nothing to provoke Christopher. We have heard that he is fine, but we don’t have any details and we pray that he is fine both physically and emotionally. Their well-being is of deep concern to all of us.
‘Christopher makes no excuses for his behavior. He is very sad and ashamed for having behaved that way. If you saw him apologize through tears to the Club’s Executive Director you would understand that he is truly sorry.
The St Louis Chess Club has since issued a statement regarding the incident, stating that Yoo had been expelled from the event.
‘Although he did not have the opportunity to speak to the cameraman after the incident, he sent him a personal apology through the CEO. Christopher understands that something like this can never happen again and should never have happened in the first place. He would also like to apologize to the tournament officials, the Saint Louis Chess Club, his tournament partners, US Chess, and everyone inside and outside the chess community that this may have affected. Accept full responsibility for what happened and the possible consequences.’
The parents added that they were shocked by the incident before expressing their “deepest apologies” to all those who were affected by the incident.
‘Many people have expressed concern for the mental well-being of our 17-year-old son. As parents we more than share your concern. “Something like this has never happened before and he will receive therapy to ensure his mental wellbeing is looked after appropriately and something like this does not happen again.”
‘As his parents, we are still in shock at this turn of events and reflect on how we could have avoided it. As his father and primary ‘chess dad’, I feel a particular responsibility for how this has impacted an innocent cameraman, my son, and everyone this incident has touched and I deeply apologize: Christopher’s parents.
“PS: Christopher is drafting his own apology and will post it when it’s ready.”
Yoo was born in 2006 in California and has been touted as one of the sport’s brightest young prospects, having made history by becoming the youngest International Master in US history in 2019, before being surpassed by Abhimanyu Mishra that same year.
The chess world has been rocked by several unpleasant headlines in recent years.
In August, a chess champion, Amina Abakarova, 43, appeared in a video appearing to spread mercury on a set of chess pieces to poison her rival before a competition in Dagestan.
Afterwards, Yoo slammed part of his scorecard on the table, and a butler urged him to calm down.
Then he took a step forward and seemed to storm away from the table where he was playing.
It comes after Magnus Carlsen accused his rival Hans Niemann of cheating. The latter was acquitted of the accusations, before suing Carlsen for ruining his career.
Carlsen has since complained again about cheating in the sport in 2023 after facing Alisher Suleymenov. He had claimed that his opponent was wearing a watch that made him lose concentration.
In an update, he continued: “I asked a referee during the game if watches were allowed and he clarified that smart watches were prohibited, but not analog watches.” This seems to go against FIDE rules for events of this magnitude.’