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The world of Chinese chess (Xiangqi) is in uproar over rumours of cheating and bad behaviour that saw the national champion stripped of his title.

48-year-old Yan Chenglong beat dozens of contenders last week to win the national title of “Xiangqi King”. However, the victory was short-lived after the celebration ended with him defecating in a bathtub.

That’s one way to celebrate.

The Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) announced he would have his title revoked and prize money confiscated after he had been caught “disrupting public order” and displaying “extremely bad character”.

He was also banned from playing for a year.

“Yan consumed alcohol with others in his room on the night of the 17th, and then he defecated in the bathtub of the room he was staying in on the 18th, in an act that damaged hotel property, violated public order and good morals, had a negative impact on the competition and the event of Xiangqi, and was of extremely bad character,” the association said in a statement.

The association was also forced to address rumours circulating online that Yan had cheated during the competition by using anal beads equipped with wireless transmitters to send and receive signals.

Yan allegedly clenched and unclenched rhythmically to communicate information about the chess board via code to a computer, which then sent back instructions on what moves to make in the form of vibrations, according to reports circulating on the Chinese social site Weibo.

“Based on our understanding of the situation, it is currently impossible to prove that Yan engaged in cheating via ‘anal beads’ as speculated on social media,” the CXA said.

As you may recall, this is not the first time that the world of chess and anal stimulation have collided. 

Last year, Hans Niemann was accused of using anal beads during a tournament to beat the World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, who then released a statement outright denouncing his opponent as a cheat.

Eventually, Niemann addressed the cheating allegations, admitting he had cheated during virtual Chess.com tournaments when he was younger. However, Niemann said, he never cheated IRL.

“I have never cheated in an over-the-board game. If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it,” Niemann offered. “I don’t care. Because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don’t care.”

Niemann went on the sue Carlsen for defamation and this year, the parties negotiated a private settlement. 

Who knew chess could be so rock ‘n’ roll? And both a legal and literal pain in the arse?