Robots--they're just like us, apparently, in that even they sometimes cheat at chess.
A seven-year-old chess player was injured in a recent match in Russia when a chess-playing robot broke his finger during a game at the Moscow Open.
Officials are blaming not the robot, but the boy for the mishap, claiming he made a sudden sharp physical move to which the robot retaliated.
Video of the incident doesn't show the child making any sudden moves, so what exactly happened remains unclear. See the video below.
\u201cJesus\u2026 A robot broke kid\u2018s finger at Chess Tournament in Moscow @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen \n\nThere is no violence in chess, they said. \n\nCome and play, they said. https://t.co/W7sgnxAFCi\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
The video shows the boy, who is one of the top 30 child chess players in Russia, engaging in a seemingly calm and normal game with the robot, until it suddenly pinned his finger against the board. Adults began rushing in as the boy was seen squirming and trying to free himself.
Speaking about the incident to Russian state media, 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 realize he first had to wait."
Another official, Moscow Chess Federation president Sergey Lazarev, confirmed to Russian media that the child's finger was broken and that the robot had played many chess games without any issues.
He did concede, however, that "this is of course bad." Unsurprisingly, the child's parents have reportedly contacted the public prosecutor’s office.
On Twitter, most people weren't buying the officials' claims that it was the boy's fault.
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen \u201cThere are certain safety rules and the child, apparently, violated them. When he made his move, he did not realise he first had to wait,\u201d So there were rules but the child didn't know them. Hmmm \u2026\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen My guess is the robot doesn\u2019t have the ability to detect human hands. Thus it grabbed what it thought was a piece. Needs an emergency shutoff/release button as well..\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen I see a lot of ppl commenting that the kid broke the rules, let\u2019s understand that kids r called kids bcos of the reason that they r still immature to understand the consequences of their actions, if consequences 4 breaking rules r that bad then robo chess it\u2019s not 4 kids, simple.\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen If all it does is play chess why is the robot arm strong enough to break a kids finger and resist someone trying to push the arm. Kinda seems like a accident bound to happen. Especially with kids playing against it.\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201cI guess if you make a chess move the robot doesn\u2019t like, breaking your finger is a logical reaction. Can you imagine what would happen if a self driving car didn\u2019t like the way you changed lanes? #ArtificialIntelligenceRoadRage\u201d— \ud83c\udf3b Michael Bagdes-Canning \ud83c\udf3b (@\ud83c\udf3b Michael Bagdes-Canning \ud83c\udf3b) 1658749648
And of course there were plenty of jokes about the mishap.
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen In the future, generations of robots will celebrate this sad event as one of the first steps of the Sentient Uprising...\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen That's a russian style of play. Not a big deal. They've done it for years. Not just in chess.\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen SkyNets first move..demanded the kid disclose where Sarah Connor is \ud83d\ude09\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen @SamJonesMCR first it\u2019s breaking a kids finger in a chess game next stop the robot apocalypse\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
\u201c@russian_market @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen Just remember when the uprising comes, they drew first blood.\u201d— \ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83 (@\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd84\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd82\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd7d \ud83c\udd7c\ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd81\ud83c\udd7a\ud83c\udd74\ud83c\udd83) 1658421029
All in all, not a great few days for Russian robots--first, the Russian robot dog indiscriminately firing a submachine gun, and now a chess bot who breaks your bones? We are living on borrowed time!
The Bulwark
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