Image source, HECTOR RETAMAL/Getty images

       Image caption, Chinese chess is a hugely popular game across Asia

       By Nadia Ragozhina

       BBC News

       The winner of a Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, tournament has been stripped of his title after allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

       Yan Chenglong has also been accused of cheating by using a communication device analogous to anal beads.

       The 48-year-old has been stripped of his title and banned from playing for a year.

       However, the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) says it's impossible to prove accusations of cheating.

       Xiangqi has been hugely popular across Asia for hundreds of years.

       According to the CXA, Mr Yan started drinking with friends in his hotel room shortly after winning the title of "Xiangqi King" at a national tournament held on the Chinese island of Hainan last week.

       He then defecated in the bathtub of his room in an act "that damaged hotel property and violated public order and good morals", said the CXA statement.

       The CXA was forced to address rumours circulating online that Mr Yan had cheated using anal beads equipped with wireless transmitters to send and receive signals.

       "Based on our understanding of the situation, it is currently impossible to prove that Yan engaged in cheating via 'anal beads' as speculated on social media," the CXA said.

       As punishment for bad behaviour, Mr Yan was stripped of his title and banned from playing for a year.

       The association did not disclose the amount of prize money Yan was forfeiting, but Xiangqi tournaments often promise winners tens of thousands of yuan (thousands of dollars), according to AFP.