Two Grandmasters of Chinese Chess Banned for Life

00:00

00:00/00:00

Listen to this article 1x

pictureWang Tianyi (left) and Wang Yuefei. Photo: VCG

Two top-ranking players of Chinese chess, also known as Xiangqi, have been banned from the game for life over match-fixing allegations as China continues its crackdown on misconduct in the sporting arena.

Wang Tianyi and Wang Yuefei, both grandmasters, have manipulated matches “for a long time,” the Chinese Xiangqi Association said in a September statement.

You've accessed an article available only to subscribers

Subscribe today for just $.99.

VIEW OPTIONS

Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.

Subscribe to both Caixin Global and The Wall Street Journal — for the price of one.

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code

DIGEST HUB

Digest Hub

Back

Explore the story in 30 seconds

Two prominent Chinese chess grandmasters, Wang Tianyi and Wang Yuefei, are banned for life due to match-fixing.
Their actions severely impacted the Chinese chess community, including losing grandmaster titles and technical level statuses.
Investigations revealed monetary involvement over 800,000 yuan ($114,000), leading to broader scrutiny on misconduct in various chess-like games.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

Economic Observer: The Economic Observer is referenced in the article for its report, which quoted sources estimating that the money involved in fixing matches by Wang Tianyi and Wang Yuefei exceeded 800,000 yuan ($114,000). This report came out in August following Wang Tianyi's investigation for accepting bribes by police in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

April 2023：: An audio recording surfaced online that exposed Wang Tianyi’s practice of buying off opponents.

October 2023：: Liu Dahua accused the deputy director of the Chess Management Center within the General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) of manipulating the results of major competitions in a video posted on his social media account.

March 2024：: GAS Deputy Director Liu Guoyong called for legislators to add a provision on 'manipulating sports matches' to the law.

By April 2024：: Wang Tianyi reportedly came under investigation for crimes including accepting bribes when approached by police from Hangzhou in East China’s Zhejiang province.

August 2024：: The Economic Observer reported the investigation into Wang Tianyi for accepting bribes.

September 2024：: The Chinese Xiangqi Association issued a statement revealing that Wang Tianyi and Wang Yuefei had been manipulating matches for a long time and revoked their grandmaster status and technical titles.

AI generated, for reference only