Chess Robot Grabs Finger Of 9-Year OId Chess Prodigy After He Made His Move

A Russian robot broke the finger of a nine-year-old chess prodigy after the kid tried to make a snap move during the game.

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As per Russian news agency TASS, the incident took place last week, on July 19 during a match at the Moscow Open. The robot got unsettled by the quick response of the nine-year-old boy, Christopher, and pinched his finger for several seconds.

Sergey Smagin, vice-president of the Russian Chess Federation, told Baza that the robot appeared to have ¡®pounced¡¯ after it took one of the boy¡¯s pieces. Instead of waiting for the machine to complete the move, the boy chose to respond quickly.

Why did the robot react this way?

Apparently, there were certain safety rules and the child broke them. With Christopher making his move, he didn¡¯t think he had to wait for the robot to answer. The instant move startled the robot, resulting in the incident.

When the robot grabbed the finger, people around soon rushed to help release the robot¡¯s grip. They ended up pulling out the finger safely, however, by the time the damage was done and the fracture was unavoidable.

Sergey Lazarev, president of the Moscow Chess Federation, told the TASS news agency that the robot¡¯s suppliers were going to ¡®have to rethink again¡¯.

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Regarded as one of the 30 best chess players in Moscow in the under-nine¡¯s category, Christopher wasn¡¯t overly traumatised by the attack. The child played the very next day with a cast on and finished the tournament by seeking help of the volunteers to record the moves.

Christopher¡¯s parents have however reported to be in contact with the public prosecutor¡¯s office for seeking redressal.

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