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Li Haoyu, ex-Chinese chess prodigy, banned for ‘sandbagging’ after dropping 400 ELO points in year, losing 13 games in row

In his defence at one point, Li Haoyu compared himself to ex-world champion Ding Liren. "My strategy has always been to apply pressure on my opponents through time management, a tactic employed by... Ding Liren in the World Championship match (vs Gukesh)."

The six-month ban on Li Haoyu from FIDE-rated events was effective from July 31. (FIDE/Anna Shtourman)

FIDE has slapped a former Chinese chess prodigy, Li Haoyu, with a ban for what the global governing body of chess termed “sandbagging at chess competitions” in a report published on their website after a long investigation by the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC). Li dropped over 400 ELO points in the span of a year and most recently lost 13 games in row across two tournaments. This led to the Chinese Chess Association complaining about its own player to FIDE in September last year, which led to an investigation before FIDE’s EDC announced the decision.

So what was the issue that led to the six-month ban?

The EDC noted that found it had found Li Haoyu guilty of breaching Article 11.7(e)(ii) of the FIDE Code of Ethics. This section prohibits conduct “likely to prejudice the integrity of a game of chess or the good reputation of the game.”

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Li Haoyu was rated 2372 in August 2023. By August 2024, he was at 1979. The biggest slip during this phase was the 138 rating points he let slip from his hands over the course of two international tournaments in China in August 2024. many of the players who defeated him were rated much lower than him, which set alarm bells ringing.

“In the letter sent by CCA (Chinese Chess Association) to FIDE FPL, it was stated that the Respondent (Li Haoyu) did not score any points against any of his opponents in the two tournaments he participated in, which concluded in August 2024, and that his ELO rating dropped from 2379 to 1979,” the EDC noted in a report of its sanctions.

He also seemed to have strange patters of time management. As the report pointed out: “The arbiter’s report of the 4th “Binhai Cup” China International Chess Open, the tournament was completed on 24th August… The Respondent competed in Group A (players with an ELO rating above 2000), lost all games against his opponents, and scored one point by receiving a bye. The same report states that in all of the games he lost, the Respondent had a substantial amount of time remaining on his clock but failed to use it; that only two of his opponents had a higher ELO rating than him; and that the result he obtained was inexplicable in light of his ELO rating.”

At one point, Li Haoyu responded to the queries, sent by email about his suspect time management, by saying: “My strategy has always been to apply pressure on my opponents through time management, a tactic employed by many top chess players, such as Ding Liren in the World Championship match.”

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It must be noted that out of the three members of the First Instance Chamber of the Ethics & Disciplinary Commission who decided Li Haoyu’s fate, one member — Khaled Arfa — ruled that Li Haoyu should be found not guilty. Arfa pointed at the lack of direct evidence implicating the player.

Arfa said that since Li had not played competitive chess between 2012 and 2022, the 10-year absence could explain his poor form.

However, Ali Nihat Yazici and India’s Ravindra Dongre disagreed.