SHANGHAI: The world of Chinese chess is in uproar over rumours of cheating and a bad behaviour scandal that saw the national champion stripped of his title on Monday (Dec 25) after a victory party ended with him defecating in a hotel bathtub.
Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, has been hugely popular for hundreds of years across Asia – and 48-year-old Yan Chenglong beat dozens of contenders last week to win the title of “Xiangqi King” at a national tournament held by the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA).
But his joy was short-lived, with the CXA on Monday announcing that Yan would have his title revoked and prize money confiscated after he had been caught “disrupting public order” and showing “extremely bad character”.
The association was also forced to address rumours circulating online that Yan had cheated during the tournament by using anal beads equipped with wireless transmitters to send and receive signals.
Yan reportedly clenched and unclenched rhythmically to communicate information about the chess board via code to a computer, which then sent back instructions on what moves to make in the form of vibrations, according to stories circulating on the Chinese social site Weibo.
“Based on our understanding of the situation, it is currently impossible to prove that Yan engaged in cheating via ‘anal beads’ as speculated on social media,” the CXA said.
“Yan consumed alcohol with others in his room on the night of the 17th, and then he defecated in the bathtub of the room he was staying in on the 18th, in an act that damaged hotel property, violated public order and good morals, had a negative impact on the competition and the event of Xiangqi, and was of extremely bad character,” the association said in a statement.
The association did not reveal the amount of prize money Yan was forfeiting, but Xiangqi tournaments often promise winners tens of thousands of yuan.
The CXA had released a social media post last week congratulating Yan and other players for their “spectacularly heated high-level gameplay”.
The post included a picture of Yan on stage, flanked by two runners-up, proudly holding up his prize certificate.