A chess robot in Russia grabbed and broke the finger of its seven-year-old opponent during a match at the Moscow Open.
Authorities said the robot was unsettled by the boy’s sudden movement, which seem to have “violated” the game’s safety rule.
“The robot broke the child’s finger. This is of course bad,” said Sergey Lazarev, president of the Moscow Chess Federation.
Jesus… A robot broke kid‘s finger at Chess Tournament in Moscow @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen
— ??????? ?????? (@russian_market) July 21, 2022
There is no violence in chess, they said.
Come and play, they said. https://t.co/W7sgnxAFCi pic.twitter.com/OVBGCv2R9H
Video of the incident published by the Baza Telegram channel shows the boy’s finger being pinched by the robot’s arm for several seconds before several rushed to free him, reports The Guardian.
Sergey Smagin, vice-president of the Russian Chess Federation, said the seven-year-old boy went for his next move, rather than waiting for the robot to complete his.
“There are certain safety rules and the child, apparently, violated them. When he made his move, he did not realize he first had to wait,” Smagin said.
He noted that the incident was quite rare, and the first he could recall.
The boy, Christopher, is one of the 30 best chess players in the Russian capital in the under-nines category, according to The Guardian.