China
Yan Chenglong was crowned “Xiangqi King” but overstated the celebrations as the governing body is also investigating whether he cheated with anal beads
Agence France Press
Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 10:19 p.m. GMT
The world of Chinese chess is in turmoil over cheating rumors and a bad behavior scandal that led to the national champion being stripped of his title on Monday after he relieved himself in a hotel bathtub following a victory celebration.
Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, has been popular across Asia for hundreds of years – and 48-year-old Yan Chenglong defeated dozens of competitors last week to win the title of “Xiangqi King” at a national tournament organized by the Chinese Xiangqi Association was organized.
But his joy was short-lived, as on Monday the CXA announced that Yan would be stripped of his title and confiscated his prize money after he was caught “disturbing public order” and exhibiting “extremely bad character.” day laid.
The association was also forced to address rumors circulating online that Yan cheated during the competition by using anal beads equipped with wireless transmitters to send and receive signals.
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According to reports circulating on the Chinese social website Weibo, Yan was said to have clenched and unclenched rhythmically to transmit information about the chessboard via code to a computer, which then sent back instructions in the form of vibrations about what moves he should make.
“Based on our understanding of the situation, it is currently impossible to prove that Yan cheated with 'anal beads' as speculated on social media,” the CXA said.
However, he was stripped of his title and banned from playing for a year after his celebrations faltered.
“On the night of the 17th, Yan drank alcohol in his room with others, and then defecated in the bathtub of the room where he stayed on the 18th, an act that damaged hotel property, violated public order and morality. “It had a negative impact on the Xiangqi competition and event and was of extremely poor character,” the association said.
The association did not say how much prize money Yan forfeited, but Xiangqi tournaments often promise tens of thousands of yuan (thousands of dollars) to winners.
The CXA released a social media post last week congratulating Yan and other players on their “spectacularly heated, high-level gameplay.”
The post included a photo of Yan on stage, flanked by two runners-up, proudly holding up his award certificate.