The Origins of Chess
Chess is quite an old game, older than you may think. It started in the sixth century in northern India before spreading to Persia. It spread to Spain after the Arabs, who had conquered Persia, were expanding their territory into Spain. From there, it spread to Southern Europe, and before long, it was a popular sport that has become widespread across numerous countries and continents.
The actual origins on who created the game of chess is widely debated. There are numerous stories and myths, but here is my favorite version:
It is said that was a king in India who wanted a new game to created in his kingdom. He called upon a wise man to create a game within a month, and if he could do so, he would be given a reward. The wise man spent the next month creating a game and perfecting it. On the final day, he went to the king to present his creation. In this version of chess’ origin, it is said that this was the day that chess was born. The king was very happy and loved the idea of chess. As he had promised, he asked the wise man what he wanted in return.
A chess board has 64 squares, and so, the wise man told the king that he wanted merely just 1 grain of rice on the first square, 2 grains of rice on the second square, 4 grains of rice on the third square, 8 grains of rice on the fourth square, and so on until the 64th square. The king thought nothing of this and was quite surprised that the wise man wanted so little for his marvelous creation, and the king said that the wise man’s wish would be granted.
Little did the king know that the wise man would very soon become the wealthiest man in the kingdom. Due to exponential growth, by the 64th square, the wise man would have over sixteen quintillion grains of rice! That is 16 followed by 18 zeros!
The king, not having that much rice but having to keep up with his word, said that he did not have enough at the moment but would pay over time.
Author: Saharsh Satheesh
