The Origins of Chess And Other Tidbits
Everyone has their own version of how they think the game of chess started. The version I heard from my father, now a retired math professor, over 30 years ago goes something like this...
Once upon a time, there was a very naive king in India. His very loyal minister tried in vain to teach the young king the protocols of being a nation's leader, and the subtleties of war. The minister failed at every attempt that he could.think of.
Finally, he invented the game of chess, as a tool for teaching the king about war, strategy, and consequences of actions. Nevertheless, the king still didn't get it, naive as ever.
In frustration, the minister challenged the king to a bet. "Your highness, if I win the bet, then you must give me a certain amount of rice. The amount will be determined by placing one grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, then doubling that number on each successive square, until the 64th square is reached." (My apologies, but I can't remember the nature of the actual bet.)
The king thought for a second, then said, "Sure. No problem."
The minister threw his hands up in the air, then explained to the king that by the time the amount of rice grains for the 64th square was calculated, there wouldn't be enough rice left in the world.
Apparently, the king caught on to this concept, and somehow, this helped him to understand chess better, and thus the protocols of war.
(c) Copyright: 2006-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://www.getyergameon.com/
Technorati Tags: getyergameon, get yer game on, chess, game theory
Once upon a time, there was a very naive king in India. His very loyal minister tried in vain to teach the young king the protocols of being a nation's leader, and the subtleties of war. The minister failed at every attempt that he could.think of.
Finally, he invented the game of chess, as a tool for teaching the king about war, strategy, and consequences of actions. Nevertheless, the king still didn't get it, naive as ever.
In frustration, the minister challenged the king to a bet. "Your highness, if I win the bet, then you must give me a certain amount of rice. The amount will be determined by placing one grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, then doubling that number on each successive square, until the 64th square is reached." (My apologies, but I can't remember the nature of the actual bet.)
The king thought for a second, then said, "Sure. No problem."
The minister threw his hands up in the air, then explained to the king that by the time the amount of rice grains for the 64th square was calculated, there wouldn't be enough rice left in the world.
Apparently, the king caught on to this concept, and somehow, this helped him to understand chess better, and thus the protocols of war.
(c) Copyright: 2006-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://www.getyergameon.com/
Technorati Tags: getyergameon, get yer game on, chess, game theory
posted by blogslinger at 1:06 AM
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