A chess-playing robot grabs and fractures opponent’s finger 

As you all know; chess is an indoor game that involves mind battles instead of physical violence. Usually played between two players, it’s a game based on strategic planning, smart tactics, calm concentration, a lot of patience and above all sharp intellect. But that’s when it’s played by humans and not machines. Why do we say so? Because, recently, a chess-playing robot competing against a seven-year-old boy abruptly grabbed his finger, so much so, that the finger got fractured. Yes, you read that right. This happened during a match at the ongoing Moscow Open in Russia. Okay, so what had exactly happened and why did the robot behave so erratically? Let’s find out. 

Did the boy violate safety rules? 
The short answer to the above question is yes. For the long answer, let us objectively look at what happened. It turns out, the boy named Christopher (one of the best chess players in Moscow in under-9 category) did not wait around patiently for the robot to complete its move. Instead, he chose to respond instantly. Experts guess that this quick and sudden move by the boy had taken the robot by surprise. Yes, robots can get unsettled too, depending on the way they are customised. Okay, so what exactly did the robot do? Startled by the boy’s rapid response, the robot first took one of the pieces that belonged to the boy and then went on to grab one of his fingers and kept pinching it hard, until a woman and three other men came to his rescue. This is an extremely rare incident though. The robot is said to have played in many previous matches and has never acted like this. In fact, it has a reputation of playing multiple matches simultaneously. 

How the world reacted to this incident 
There have been mixed responses to this rather incredible incident. The Moscow Chess Federation have reportedly remarked that the robot suppliers would be answerable, although they also mentioned that the boy too shared responsibility in what had happened. Expressing their regret in what had happened, they wished that the fracture could have been avoided.   

As for the boy, his finger had to be put inside a plaster cast; but he didn’t show any sign of extreme trauma. In fact, he was sporting enough to come back the next day and finish the match. However, the incident did not go down well with his parents, who have reportedly contacted a public prosecutor. The Federation has promised to help them out in whatever ways they can. Having said that, their authorities have shared with the media that the incident was no more than an “unfortunate coincidence” and the robot was in fact “absolutely safe.”  

Sergey Karjakin, a Russian Grandmaster, is of the opinion that there was definitely some kind of a software error in the robot. He also wished the boy a speedy recovery.  

There are others who also believe that the robot was programmed to only move around chess pieces and had no idea that it had grabbed a human finger.  

Are you thinking what we are thinking? Are we really nearing the rise of robots? Well, we hope not, at least not so soon!