In one of a kind incident, a chess robot grabbed and broke a finger of a 7-year-old opponent during a match at the Moscow Open in Russia last week. Video of the incident that emerged on the internet on July 19, shows the boy reaching over the board to make his own move when suddenly the robot pinched boy’s finger for several seconds before a woman followed by three men rush in, free him, and took away.
The TASS news agency reported the incident, quoting Sergey Lazarev, president of the Moscow Chess Federation as saying, “the robot broke the child’s finger.”The boy was able to finish the tournament in a cast the following day, he further added. “The child made a move, and after that it is necessary to give time for the robot to respond, but the boy hurried, the robot grabbed him. The child played the next day, finished the tournament in a cast, and volunteers helped to record the moves,” Lazarev said.
“The robot was rented by us, it has been exhibited in many places, for a long time, with specialists. Apparently, the operators overlooked it. The child made a move, and after that, we need to give time for the robot to answer, but the boy hurried, and the robot grabbed him. We have nothing to do with the robot,” The Verge quoted Lazarev.
Baza Telegram channel published the video. “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,” Sergey Smagin, vice-president of the Russian Chess Federation, told a Telegram-based news channel Baza, The Guardian reported.
As per some reports, the parents contacted the prosecutor’s office and take action against the authorities.
