A CHESS grandmaster has been arrested and expelled from a tournament after allegedly punching a woman in the back.
Christopher Yoo, 17, was disqualified on Wednesday after a shocking meltdown following his defeat to defending champion GM Fabiano Curuana.
The incident occurred at the United States Chess Championship in St. Louis last week.
Yoo reacted angrily to the defeat and could be seen on video scrunching up his score sheet.
The loss left him with just one point from his opening five games at the tournament.
He is then said to have stormed out of the video hall before allegedly hitting a female videographer in the back with his fist.
In response, the St. Louis Chess Club expelled Yoo and banned him from the facility.
His results from the tournament have been annulled, with all players due to face him given a bye.
A statement from the club read: “The St Louis Chess Club immediately provided assistance to the videographer and called the police who responded.
“Chief 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.
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“The Saint Louis Chess Club fully supports this decision, and has banned Yoo from the club.”
Meanwhile, Yoo released a statement of his own in response to his expulsion.
He said: “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 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.”
According to the US Chess Federation, Yoo has been charged with fourth-degree assault after hitting the 24-year-old woman in the back.
He has since been released into the custody of his parents, with the USCF explaining: “His case will be handled in the juvenile justice system.”