MOSCOW, Russia — A chess-playing robot broke the finger of a 7-year-old boy during a competition last week in Moscow, according to multiple reports.
Video circulating online of the incident during the Moscow Chess Open initially showed the robot discarding one of the boy's pieces. The child then grabs another piece on the board to make a move but before he could let go, the robot latches onto his finger.
Several adults come over to help pry the boy's finger out of the robot's grip before he's moved away from the table.
The Guardian reports the vice president of the Russian Chess Federation told Baza Telegram that the boy made a sudden move during the July 19 match before allowing the robot to complete its move.
"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 told Baza, in part.
Baza identified the boy as Christopher, who reportedly didn't appear too upset after the grab. He's said to be one of the best child chess players in Moscow.
Sergey Lazarev, the president of the Moscow Chess Federation, in an interview with Baza said 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."
Lazarev succinctly summarized the incident to the Russian news agency Tass, according to the BBC:
"The robot broke the child's finger," he said. "This is, of course, bad."
The BBC reports, citing Tass, that Christoper was able to finish the tournament in a cast.
