A 17-year-old chess superstar has been arrested after following a violent outburst that led to him being expelled from the United States Chess Championship in St Louis on Wednesday.
Christopher Yoo had been beaten by defending champion GM Fabiano Caruana but appeared to react angrily to the defeat and was seen in a video published online scrunching up his score sheet after the match, with the teenager being left with only one point from his opening five games.
He is said to have stormed out of the video hall, before being alleged to have hit a videographer in the back.
The St Louis Chess Club subsequently expelled Yoo from the tournament and banned him from the facility for his 'gross violation of code of conduct and the US chess safe place policy.'
The US Chess Federation claims that the 17-year-old was charged with fourth-degree assault and was later released to the custody of his parents. The organization adds 'his case will be handled in the juvenile justice system.'
Police have said Yoo struck the woman, who was aged 24, in the back with his fist.
His results from the event will now be annulled with the US Chess Federation adding that those players who were due to face him will now receive a bye.
Yoo has since released a statement following the incident and admitting his remorse at hitting the videographer claiming that he was 'very sad for what I did' before adding 'I hope the videographer is OK.'
'I am sorry for hitting the videographer,' he said. 'I was disappointed losing the game to Caruana and lost my temper. That's no excuse, I know.
'I am 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 about 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 of 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.'
ST Louis Chess Club also took to social media to state the incident.
'The St Louis chess club immediately assisted the videographer and called the police who responded,' the statement read.
'Cheif arbiter Chris Bird expelled Yoo from the tournament due to the gross violations of our code of conduct and the US Chess safe play policy.
'The Saint Louis Chess Club fully supports this decision, and has banned Yoo from the club.'
The statement adds: '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.'
His parents had also spoken out on the incident online, stating that their son had issued a personal apology to the videographer.
