After losing his game of round 5 from the US Chess Championship, GM Christopher Yoo destroyed his scoresheet, stormed out of the playing hall, “and struck a videographer from behind”. The Saint Louis chess club and the organizers of the US Championship did not approve of the reaction of Christopher Yoo and expelled him from the US Championship.
As of now Christopher Yoo is banned from the Saint Louis Chess Club, suspended from the US Chess Federation, with 4th degree charges by the Saint Louis police, and shocking information continues to come.
GM Vasif Durarbayli expresses his opinion on the Christopher Yoo case, saying, “Chess is a brutal game, and for those who haven’t played classical chess competitively, it’s hard to truly understand the toll it can take.” See the full analysis of Vasif Durarbayli below.
Timeline of the Christopher Yoo case
16.10.2024 Christopher Yoo – Fabiano Caruana round 5 game
16.10.2024 Christopher Yoo is expelled from the US Championship and banned from St Louis Chess Club
17.10.2024 Chris Bird, “The punch by Christopher Yoo was completely unprovoked, from behind and in no way accidental”
17.10.2024 USCF suspends Christopher Yoo
17.10.2024 WICF with a statement on the assault of a videographer by GM Christopher Yoo
17.10.2024 Christopher Yoo is charged with fourth-degree assault by the St. Louis police
17.10.2024 Levon Aronian: Christopher Yoo’s punch was well prepared against an innocent person
Vasif Durarbayli on the Christopher Yoo case
In light of the GM Yoo incident, I want to discuss the impact of loss on players. While this post does not defend his violent behavior, I also believe he should not be treated as just another ‘normal’ individual.
I don’t know Yoo personally, but playing next to him once made it clear that he struggles with serious mental health issues. We were both playing important games at the World Open 2024, and after he blundered a promising position, he began talking to himself and making noise with a pen, despite other players’ warnings. I even complained to the arbiter, but as usual in my experience, the arbiter’s response was inadequate. This was no exception. That’s why I agree with GM Caruana’s statement that ‘95% of arbiters are useless’. The distraction affected my game, causing me to miss a win. However, arbiters and distractions are separate issues.
Chess is a brutal game, and for those who haven’t played classical chess competitively, it’s hard to truly understand the toll it can take. Losing at faster time controls hurts, but it’s not remotely comparable to the sting of a classical loss.
A defeat in a classical game messes up players’ minds. Especially if the player blundered away an advantageous position in an important game. Missing a win against the world’s #2 player is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most players. These top players rarely lose, and I can only imagine how painful it must have been for Yoo to miss that chance.
Before diving deeper into the psychology of losing, I want you to imagine a scenario: you’ve built your career and worked hard every day to reach the next level. Finally, you get a big opportunity—perhaps an important job interview. You’re doing great, your heartbeat quickens with excitement, and you start picturing yourself calling your loved ones to celebrate, the next big steps… Then, out of nowhere you start saying one stupid thing after another, and soon you’ve blown up the opportunity! What do you do then? And what if this wasn’t the first time you’ve made such a mistake? You had promised yourself last time that you wouldn’t relax and stay focused until the meeting was over. How would you take out the anger within you?
Hopefully, your response isn’t to lash out at an innocent person. Now, returning to chess: it’s rare for players to take out their frustration on an innocent person, and the Yoo incident is an extreme exception.
After a stressful game like that, chess players need ways to cool down. Unfortunately, there’s no universal solution. I remember back in 2014 when I was on the verge of winning the strong Najdorf Memorial Open. All I needed was a draw in the final round against GM Krasenkow, and I had White. Instead of playing a safe, solid game, I sacrificed a knight—just because I felt like it! The game didn’t last long, and I lost. The moment the game ended; I realized the gravity of my mistake. I was filled with unbearable anger, and I ended up doing some reckless things to release that tension, like speeding through the city on a bicycle, drinking, and smoking cigarettes.
Sadly, drinking and smoking are common ways that many chess players deal with stress. As you can see, that was my coping mechanism in 2014 as well. Fortunately, I’ve since changed, and now I try to handle losses calmly—though I’m still learning. Perhaps age plays a part; I’m now 32 and have seen many more tough losses since 2014.
Recently, young Indian players have been talking about the philosophy of “inner engineering” that helps them to cope with setbacks. I believe young players could benefit from exploring this or other forms of philosophy as tools for resilience.
My own philosophy is simple: every time I lose, I remind myself, ‘This is not the first, nor the last time.’ Somehow, this works like magic. The core problem when you blow a winning position is thinking it’s the end of the world, and you lose sight of the bigger picture. Additionally, I practice philosophy regularly where the main goal is not giving importance to either the past or the future.
Coaches and mentors must prepare players to handle losses. The best ways to relieve stress include walking, engaging in physical sports, and socializing, preferably without alcohol. Most importantly, players must be mentally prepared for setbacks. No matter who you are, losses will happen. For top players, they just happen less frequently.
If you don’t find healthy ways to cope, the consequences can be severe. I’ve seen strong players develop all kinds of bad habits, and some, even without those, were so overwhelmed by stress that they quit the game early. So, have a plan in place for dealing with losses.