Top Xiangqi Grandmasters Banned For Life In Chinese Chess Scandal

A major cheating scandal has rocked the world of Chinese chess and tarnished the reputation of one of China's most cherished traditional games. A number of the game's best players have been handed lifetime bans.

Chinese chess, also known as Xiangqi, is a centuries-old game integral to Chinese culture. The sport is almost universally played in China, with its top players celebrated as stars. Now, an unprecedented series of scandals has rocked the sport and has led to a number of the country's best players to be penalized or even banned for life.

"For over a decade, such illegal activities have been hampering the healthy development of the sport, resulting in the manipulation of match results, the unfair distribution of prize money, and control of player promotions," Gai Hongyan, a Deputy Director of the Administrative Center and the Secretary of its Disciplinary Committee, told China Daily.

For over a decade, such illegal activities have been hampering the healthy development of the sport, resulting in the manipulation of match results, the unfair distribution of prize money, and control of player promotions.

—Gai Hongyan

The scandal reached the public in September when the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) issued lifetime bans to Wang Yuefei and Wang Tianyi, two of the sport's most celebrated figures. 35-year-old Tianyi, the Magnus Carlsen of Xiangqi, is a four-time national champion and three-time world champion, and he has been the top-ranked player for a decade. Yuefei, 41, was the national runner-up in 2010 and a teammate of Tianyi in Hangzhou.

The pair's downfall began with the leak of audio clips online, now known as "Recording Gate." The leaks, totaling 12 minutes, revealed discussions between Wang Yuefei and another player, Hao Jichao, about orchestrating match-fixing.

In one of the recordings, Yuefei warns Hao, "Never mention his name on the phone! Remember!"—a reference to Wang Tianyi. The leaked recordings triggered a comprehensive investigation by the CXA and law enforcement, which uncovered additional incidents of corruption spanning over a decade.

The investigation revealed Wang Tianyi's involvement in accepting bribes totaling 800,000 yuan (approximately $110,000) to manipulate game outcomes.

The revelations didn't end there. On Sunday the General Administration of Sport of China announced that a total of 41 Chinese chess players have been penalized following an investigation that revealed additional incidents of match-fixing and bribery, according to Global Times.

Among them were top grandmasters Zhao Xinxin, Wang Yang, and Zheng Weitong, who received lifetime bans and had their titles revoked by CXA. The investigation revealed widespread instances of match-fixing and bribery, with some violations going as far back as 2012.

"The huge temptation of benefit for a high-ranking player to maintain his place and for a lower-ranked player to earn more money was too big to refuse sometimes in a game, especially between commercial clubs," Cai Yi, a former Chinese chess player and a lawyer with Beijing-based DeHeng Law Offices, told China Central Television.

The huge temptation of benefit for a high-ranking player to maintain his place and for a lower-ranked player to earn more money was too big to refuse sometimes in a game (...)

—Cai Yi

The chess world has also faced cases of match-fixing, pre-arranged games and persistent rumors of bribery involving high-profile players, either seeking to achieve titles like GM or IM, or securing a cash-prize in a tournament.

I don't recall the case, but judging from the game it looks pre-agreed indeed. However: pre-arranged draws always were/are seen as no sin or a very minor sin. Tal, Kasparov, etc - everybody except for Fischer made quite a few of them. Not to be mixed with throwing/buying games.

— Emilchess (@EmilSutovsky) July 14, 2021

However, while match-fixing exists, most cheating cases in chess have been related to the use of computer software during games. The most high-profile case is the Ukrainian-born Romanian GM Kirill Shevchenko who is currently under investigation by FIDE for an alleged incident of cheating after a phone was found in the bathroom during a tournament in Spain.

Chess.com also recently reported on a scandal in backgammon, where a player was banned by the U.S. Backgammon Federation for a case of alleged cheating during a high-profile online event.