Who is chess GM Christopher Yoo as he’s expelled after punching videographer, bio, age, nationality and FIDE rating

Who is chess GM Christopher Yoo as he’s expelled after punching videographer, bio, age, nationality and FIDE rating

The video of Christopher Yoo tearing his scoresheet before he decided to punch a videographer has gone viral with him now expelled

American chess grandmaster Christopher Yoo got himself expelled from the US Championships for causing a ruckus after losing a match, find out more about him and the incident below.

The incident took place during the fifth round of the US Championships, where Christopher Yoo lost out to Fabiano Caruana.

Who is GM Christopher Yoo as he’s expelled after punching videographer, bio, age, nationality and FIDE rating

Advertisement

Following the expulsion of Yoo from the tournament, the results and table are now in disarray with one player missing.

Christopher Yoo banned from US Championships and the Saint Louis Chess Club

After losing out to Fabiano Caruana in the fifth round, Christopher Yoo lost his nerve and crumpled up his scoresheet. He then proceeded to storm out of the tournament hall and punched a videographer in the back while heading out. The organisers eventually notified the police, following which Yoo got expelled from the tournament.

Following the incident, the organizers also cancelled his previous results, including his defeat against Caruana. Caruana is now in the lead with 3 out of 4 points, ahead of Awonder Liang and Hans Niemann. Yoo is also now banned from the Saint Louis Chess Club.

Advertisement

Christopher Yoo bio

Christopher Woojin Yoo is an American chess grandmaster who was born on December 19, 2006 in Fremont, California, USA. He is currently just 17 years old and holds the FIDE rating of 2590 as of October 2024. Yoo attained the title of youngest International Master in American history back in February 2019, before Abhimanyu Mishra surpassed him later in 2019. He achieved his peak rating of 2616 earlier this year in August, 2024. Yoo attained the title of grandmaster in 2021 and currently ranks 19th among active players in the USA.

Christopher Yoo vs Fabiano Caruan

The game started out with Caruana playing with black and made the opening with a positional exchange sacrifice. He went on to force Christopher Yoo to make one difficult decision after another before eventually ending with an outstanding mating attack. After finishing the first two games in draws at the start, Caruana won the last three in a row. Meanwhile, in the women’s tournament, things were less dramatic as Carissa Yip continued to set the pace. She claimed her fifth win in a row and now stands 1½ points ahead of second place Tatev Abrahamyan.

Advertisement


ALSO READ: Who is Fairfax County police officer Peter Liu who shot Sydney Wilson dead in self defence as seen in viral video