Chinese Xiangqi King loses crown over hotel bathroom mishap and cheating accusations

A Chinese chess champion, Yan Chenglong, faced a dramatic turn of events as he was stripped of his ‘Xiangqi King’ title and prize money following allegations of an unpleasant incident in a hotel bathtub. The 48-year-old had emerged victorious in an amateur chess competition held in China’s Hainan Province, but his celebratory moment took a bizarre twist when hotel staff accused him of defecating in the bathtub the morning after his triumph.

The Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) announced on Monday that Yan Chenglong was being stripped of his championship title and prize money, citing reasons of ‘disrupting public order’ and displaying ‘extremely bad character.’ The incident reportedly occurred after Yan had been celebrating his victory with friends and consumed alcohol.

The CXA stated that Yan’s actions had caused damage to the hotel’s property, violated public order and good customs, and negatively impacted the image of Chinese chess. Yan responded to the allegations, attributing his actions to an episode of diarrhea resulting from excessive drinking.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Balwani's (@sweetwonders_nasik)

In addition to the hotel incident, Yan faced accusations of cheating by using a communication device resembling anal beads during the competition. Social media circulated claims that he communicated chess moves through code to a computer using vibrations from the device. However, the CXA deemed it ‘impossible’ to prove the allegations, and Yan denied any involvement in cheating.

The chess player has been banned from participating in Chinese chess competitions for the next year. The incident echoes a chess scandal in 2022 when grandmaster Hans Niemann faced similar accusations of using vibrating anal beads to cheat during a tournament. Niemann, later cleared of all claims, called the allegations a ‘targeted attack’ on his career.