The robotic arm pinched the boy’s finger at the Moscow Open before people rushed in to help him free his hand and take him away.
A chess-playing robot broke his seven-year-old opponent’s finger last week in Russia during a match at the Moscow Open.
It is not completely clear why the robot chose to do what it did, but it seems it has something to do with the boy taking his turns too quickly.
Video of the incident published by the Baza Telegram channel shows the robotic arm pinching the child’s finger before people rush in to help him free his hand and take him away.
The president of the Moscow Chess Federation said it was rented to play against competitors and attempted to distance the federation from the robot.
“The robot was rented by us, it has been exhibited in many places by specialists for a long time,” Lazarev said.
“Apparently, the operators overlooked some flaws.
“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.
“We have nothing to do with the robot.”
Sergey Smagin, vice-president of the Russian Chess Federation said, “there are certain safety rules and the child, apparently, violated them”.
“When he made his move, he did not realise he first had to wait.
“This is an extremely rare case, the first I can recall.”
Baza said the boy’s name is Christopher and he is one the 30 best chess players in Moscow in the under-nines.
He continued to compete the next day, finishing the tournament with his finger in a plaster cast and volunteers helping him with the recording his moves.
However, the parents have reportedly contacted the public prosecutor’s office.
Lazarev said they will look to understand what happened and try to help the family “in any way we can”.
He added that the robot’s operators “will have to think about strengthening protection so that such a situation does not happen again”.
