Chinese chess champion forfeits victory over unsportsmanlike conduct after tournament but denies cheating

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A top player of Chinese chess, Xiangqi, had to give up his championship title due to "misconduct" after winning a tournament. He has denied accusations, both online and in Chinese state media, that he used a sex toy to cheat.

Yan Chenglong, a 48-year-old amateur from China's central Henan province, won the Chess King tournament in Hainan province on December 17, earning a prize of 100,000 yuan (about $13,988). Following an investigation by the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) into "bad behavior" at his hotel after the tournament, he was required to forfeit the prize money and victory, according to a statement by the group on Monday.

The association reported that Yan defecated in the hotel bathtub and damaged furniture in his room after consuming alcohol. They stated that he had "violated public order and good morals,' and as a result, he will be suspended from participating in all Xiangqi tournaments for a year.

Following the tournament, rumors surfaced on China's closely monitored social media suggesting that Yan may have cheated by using a vibrating sex toy to communicate with others. These allegations were later covered by multiple Chinese state media outlets.

Yan vehemently denied the allegations in an interview with state-run magazine China Newsweek, stating that he had protested the association's decision to penalize him for the hotel incident. Additionally, he declared his intention to take legal action against online bloggers for making what he considered to be "slanderous comments."

The CXA announced that Yan had been disqualified from his win due to insufficient evidence to confirm whether he had used a sex toy to cheat, as suggested by the media. In an interview with China Newsweek, Yan mentioned feeling unwell after the tournament and hastily leaving to catch a flight after cleaning the bathtub.

"I want to apologize to society for my actions," he expressed during the phone interview. CNN was unable to obtain a comment from Yan. As reported by the Global Times, Yan had previously emerged victorious as the men's champion in an open tournament at China's 2021 National Games and has been actively competing for many years.

Competitors from various backgrounds across the country gathered in Hainan earlier this month to participate in the tournament, as reported by the CXAs official WeChat account. Xiangqi is widely popular throughout the country and among the Chinese diaspora.

This is not the first instance of cheating allegations involving sex toys in the competitive world of board games.

Just days after concluding an investigation into another cheating scandal, involving five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen and US grandmaster Hans Niemann, news broke of Yan's suspension. Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating after he won the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis.

Without providing details about Niemann's alleged actions during their over-the-board match, Carlsen's accusations sparked social media rumors of Niemann using vibrating sex toys to receive signals for making moves. Niemann denied the allegations, but the governing body of the sports world determined on December 15 that Niemann had not cheated against Carlsen during their over-the-board match, but had cheated in up to 55 online games.