Corruption in Chinese chess exposed

With reigning Asian Games champion and several grandmasters banned for life, the latest crackdown on corruption in xiangqi, or Chinese chess, has exposed a serious integrity crisis tarnishing the board game's profile in China.

Highlighted by the scale and severity of punishments, the continuous fight against illegal acts in domestic xiangqi competitions, including match-fixing and bribery, by a joint task force of the game's governing body and police departments in related regions has shaken the sport's landscape.

Three more high-profile players — 2023 Asian Games gold medalist Zheng Weitong, silver medalist Zhao Xinxin and Wang Yang, who all previously held grandmaster titles — received lifetime bans from the sport on Sunday, joining Wang Tianyi and Wang Yuefei, two former world champions who had been banned for life since September, as the governing body announced the latest penalty targeting over 40 players found cheating in domestic events at different levels.