Chess-playing robot breaks boy's finger during tournament in Russia

The Moscow Chess Open tournament witnessed a bizarre accident when a chess-playing robot broke a seven-year-old boy's finger. The incident was caught on camera.

The Vice President of the Chess Federation of Russia, Sergey Smagin, said the child went for a swift move without waiting for the robot to complete its action, reported Newsweek. He added that the child violated the safety protocols.

The video that has gone viral on social media shows that the child is moving his piece before the robot finished moving its own. In a few moments, the boy's finger is seen trapped in the robot's hand. Bystanders quickly freed the child's arm.

The video does not clarify whether the machine made any moves to intentionally cause harm or the boy's hand was trapped in the robot's arm. The Baza Telegram channel wrote that the robot grabbed the boy's index finger and squeezed it hard.

According to reports, the boy is one of the 30 strongest chess players in Moscow. His finger was fractured and scratched. His injuries are not serious as he continued to play after getting a cast. He also attended the awards ceremony and signed documents.

The boy's parents have decided to contact the Moscow prosecutor's office. Officials, on the other hand, stated that the chess federation will resolve the matter.

Smagin claims that the robot has been playing chess for 15 years and this is the first time such an accident has happened. "It is absolutely safe. We will analyze why this happened. It may be necessary to install an additional protection system." He added that he is not an expert on how the robot is set up.

The chess robot is equipped with artificial intelligence and can play against three opponents at once.