Arthur Chu

Arthur Chu (born January 30, 1984) is an American columnist and former contestant on Jeopardy!, a syndicated U.S. game show. He first became known for the unusual style of play that he adopted during his 11-game winning streak on the show. When his appearances aired, Chu attracted criticism from many for jumping from category to category rather than selecting clues in sequential order, a strategy known as the "Forrest Bounce", named for former champion Chuck Forrest.

Chu prepared extensively before his Jeopardy! appearance by reviewing tapes, study guides, game theory and Jeopardy! strategy. Chu made his debut on January 28, 2014, winning $37,000 in his first game. After winning 11 games, Chu lost his 12th game (which aired on March 12) to Diana Peloquin. He is the tenth highest-earning Jeopardy! champion in non-tournament gameplay, with a grand total of $298,200. Chu also won an additional $100,000 for taking second place in the 2014 Tournament of Champions.

Since his appearances on Jeopardy!, Chu has used his fame to speak out publicly on issues that are important to him. Chu later became a columnist and Internet commentator, writing for The Daily Beast and Salon on various issues, including racism and sexism in nerd culture.

Early life and education Chu was born to a Taiwanese American family in Albany, New York, on January 30, 1984. His parents immigrated to the United States from Taiwan. Growing up, Chu moved several times due to his father's job in the chemical industry. During his childhood, Chu lived in Cranston, Rhode Island and spent a year in Boise, Idaho before living in Cerritos, California as a teenager. As a student at Swarthmore College, he also played quiz bowl, where he has said that he was an aggressive player despite having limited knowledge.

Debut and championship Chu made his debut as a contestant on the January 28, 2014, episode of Jeopardy!, winning $37,200 in his first game. In the next episode the following day, Chu made a Final Jeopardy! wager that caused him to tie fellow contestant Carolyn Collins. Chu claimed that he made the decision to wager for a tie not out of kindness, but because of the advice of 2003 College champion Keith Williams, who claims that game theory favors wagering for a tie over the more common practice of wagering to win by a dollar. Chu defeated Collins on the January 30 episode.

After a three-week airtime break, Chu became eligible for the Tournament of Champions on February 24 when he won for the fifth time; his total winnings were $123,600. Two days later, Chu became the ninth biggest all-time Jeopardy! winner, with a total of $180,000. The next day, he jumped to third, with a total of $238,200. and his third-place earnings of $1,000 brought his ultimate winnings to $298,200. This put Chu at third place on the list of all-time highest-earning Jeopardy! champions, behind Ken Jennings and David Madden.

Response to game play style Throughout Chu's 11-game streak, his aggressive style of play attracted criticism among fans of the series, some of whom considered his conduct to be unsportsmanlike and against the spirit of Jeopardy!. Chu's strategy earned him the nickname the "Jeopardy! Villain", a nickname Chu fully embraced. One of the most common complaints about his playing style was that he jumped from category to category, a strategy known as the "Forrest Bounce", after former champion Chuck Forrest. However, the Forrest Bounce is a somewhat common strategy since it was employed by several other successful champions, including Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer, who, like Chu, used it to increase their odds of finding Daily Doubles first. Inspired by Watson, a computer that was programmed to play Jeopardy!, Chu picked high-value clues first because they are more likely to be Daily Doubles. and upon correctly answering a question, rushed quickly to the next clue. This gamesmanship, the resulting criticism and his engagement with critics on Twitter during airings of his shows led some to declare his run akin to a "Moneyball" moment, and Chu himself "ruthless" and "idol-killingly pragmatic".

In response, both Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings have defended Chu as a "good player" who makes the game "more exciting". In a 2018 interview, Trebek admitted that Chu's use of the Forrest Bounce could be irritating when it disrupted the flow of the game, although he also praised Chu and said, "as the impartial host I accept disorder".

After Jeopardy! After his appearance on Jeopardy!, Chu contacted publicists and PR firms to ask for suggestions on how to monetize the recognition from his Jeopardy! run. However, he found the proposals unappealing and did not follow suggestions that he use the "successful game theorist" image. Instead, Chu began writing a column for The Daily Beast and later for Salon. He has written on various aspects of nerd culture and on being Asian American. Chu is a vocal critic of racism and online bullying, and is known for his opposition to the Gamergate movement.

A documentary feature film about Chu's life, titled Who Is Arthur Chu?, premiered at the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival. It is directed by Scott Drucker and Yu Gu.

Personal life Chu resides in Broadview Heights, Ohio. He has worked as a voice actor, for example, on the webcomic Erfworld, and as an insurance compliance analyst. They got divorced in 2016.

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