Sneed
Camel Sock
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The Chinese chess community is abuzz after a newly crowned tournament champion had his prize rescinded for defecating in a bathtub, the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) announced Monday.
The incident sparked rumors the player had pulled off his victory with the help of high-tech anal beads.
After emerging victorious in the final match of the tournament in Hainan Province on December 17, 48-year-old Yan Chenglong celebrated with night of drinking with others in his hotel room, according a CXA statement released after its investigation. After he checked out, hotel staff discovered excrement in the bathtub.
Newsweek has reached out to the General Administration of Sport in China with a written request for comment.
Chinese chess, commonly known as elephant chess (xiangqi), is one of the most popular board games in China and with overseas Chinese communities, as well as in Vietnam. It appeared in its current form during the Song dynasty approximately a millennium ago.
Yan "damaged the hotel's public property, violated public order and good customs, and caused a negative impact on Chinese chess, which was very bad in nature," the CXA statement read.
After news of the incident broke, it became a hot topic on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with some netizens spreading the theory Yan had used a type of wireless anal beads to cheat and later removed them in the tub.
This was supposedly achieved by squeezing sphincter muscles to transmit information about the match. It was alleged that a computer on the other end would then advise Yan on his next move by transmitting a signal that caused the beads to vibrate instructions in a predetermined code.
Based on the available evidence, "it isn't currently possible to confirm Yan engaged in the cheating behavior speculated by the media," the CXA said.
The CXA then announced it was revoking Yan's award in accordance with its disciplinary regulations. It also banned Yan from participating in any chess events for one year.
The prize was 100,000 yuan (about $14,000).
In an interview with China's Upstream News, the erstwhile champion said the incident was the result of a bout of diarrhea.
"I was a little happy, and I drank that night. I drank too much and had an upset stomach."
Yan told the news outlet he didn't have time to rinse the tub or alert cleaning staff because he was "rushed, really rushed."
"I had diarrhea at 4 o'clock in the morning, and I had to check out at 5 o'clock," he said.
Yan, who reportedly served as the coach of the Henan Provincial Chess Team, dismissed the allegations he had cheated.
"I have been playing chess for over 40 years and I love chess. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't cheat and I don't need to," he said.
The furor recalls a similar unsubstantiated rumor last year that American chess grandmaster Hans Niemann had used electronic anal beads in his upset defeat of world champion Magnus Carlsen.
Hey Tom Brady, you gonna play the game, or you wanna be known as a smug cheating bitch the rest of your life?
