By Ole Braatelien October 24, 2024 at 3:18pm
A chess grandmaster was arrested last week after reportedly flying into a rage and hitting a female videographer after losing a match.
Christopher Yoo, 17, was charged with assault and was disqualified from the tournament after allegedly striking the 24-year-old woman, KSDK-TV in St. Louis, Missouri, reported.
Footage from the Oct. 16 incident showed an angry Yoo tearing and crumpling his score sheet after losing a match at the U.S. Chess Championship.
Off camera, Yoo then allegedly struck the videographer in the back, according to a statement from the Saint Louis Chess Club.
Saint Louis Chess Club official statement regarding the expelling of GM Christopher Yoo from the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship. pic.twitter.com/BvolnLYaQ5
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 17, 2024
After police arrived, Yoo was charged with fourth-degree assault, KSDK reported.
Was his punishment appropriate?
It is not clear why he struck this particular woman, but a later apology from his parents said the attack was completely unprovoked.
The video below shows Yoo angrily crumpling his score sheet.
Yoo publicly apologized for his behavior in a statement Monday, according to Chess.com.
“All I can do is to be better from now on. I promise that this won’t happen again,” said Christopher Yoo in a statement after his expulsion from the #USChessChamps. pic.twitter.com/k920LX91hM
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 22, 2024
“I am really sorry for hitting the videographer,” Yoo wrote. “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.
“All I can do is to be better from now on. I promise that this won’t happen again.
“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,” he said.
The chess player’s parents also apologized for their son’s behavior.
Sincere heartfelt apology and complete remorse!
A Statement About What Happened on Wednesday in the US Championship from Christopher Yoo’s Parents:
First and foremost, Christopher wants to publicly apologize to the female videographer that was an innocent victim of his anger… pic.twitter.com/7IMOsfJLtu
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) October 18, 2024
“First and foremost, Christopher wants to publicly apologize to the female videographer that was an innocent victim of his anger after his loss of a chess game,” Young-Kyu Woo wrote.
“Contrary to what some have suggested, the videographer did nothing to provoke Christopher. We heard she’s doing okay but we don’t have any details and we pray she is doing well both physically and emotionally.
“Her well-being is of deep concern to all of us. Christopher offers no excuses for his behavior.
“He is just very sad and ashamed he behaved in that way,” Woo wrote.
The Saint Louis Chess Club statement said Yoo was expelled from the tournament and banned from the club “due to gross violations of our code of conduct and the U.S. Chess safe play policy.”
We take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards,” the club statement said. “We acted swiftly to address this situation, ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone involved in the tournament.”
Yoo’s results from the rounds he had participated in were annulled and the remaining players’ standings were adjusted, the club reported.
Ole Braatelien has written for The Western Journal since 2022. He earned his bachelor’s from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
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