Chess Grandmaster, 17, Arrested and Banned from Tournament After Storming Out and Striking Woman After Loss

Mar. 15, 2025

Christopher Yoo.Photo:Saint Louis Chess Club

Saint Louis Chess Club

A 17-year-old chess grandmaster was expelled from the 2024 U.S. Championships after having an outburst when he lost a game in St. Louis.

The venue claimed “immediate assistance” was provided to the videographer and the police were called, according to the statement.

“Chief arbiter Chris Bird expelled Yoo from the tournament due to gross violations of our code of conduct and the U.S. Chess Safe Play Policy. The Saint Louis Chess Club fully supports this decision and has banned Yoo from the club,” the message added.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said “around 5 p.m. on October 16, officers were called to the Chess Club for a report of a 17-year-old male that struck a 24-year-old woman in the back with his fist. The 17-year-old was charged with Assault 4th and released to a parent at the direction of the Juvenile Courts.”

The club confirmed at the time that “Yoo’s results from rounds 1-5 [would] be annulled,” adding that “the tournament standings will be adjusted accordingly.”

“We take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards. We acted swiftly to address this situation, ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone involved in the tournament,” the post concluded.

“The Safe Play complaint process has been initiated and is confidential until the Executive Board issues a final decision,” the message stated.

Yoo has since issued an apology, per a message shared on theU.S. Chess Federation websiteand his parents’Facebookpage on Monday, Oct. 21.

His parents wrote, “Christopher is not good with words and expressing emotions, but his remorse is very real.”

The message from Yoo read, “I am really sorry for hitting the videographer. I was disappointed losing the game to Caruana and lost my temper. That’s no excuse, I know.”

“I am 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 am very sad for what I did and I hope the videographer is OK. I know that it’s not acceptable to do what I did. I accept the consequences for my actions,” he added.

“All I can do is to be better from now on. I promise that this won’t happen again,” Yoo continued. “Best of luck to Caruana. I am sorry this happened after our game. And best of luck to the other players and best wishes to the St. Louis Chess Club.”

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In a previous post shared on Friday, Oct. 18, Yoo’s parents said their son wanted “to publicly apologize to the female videographer that was an innocent victim of his anger after his loss of a chess game,” adding that she’d done “nothing to provoke” Yoo.

They also said Yoo would be “getting therapy to help make sure his mental well-being is properly cared for and that something like this will not happen again.”

source: people.com