There is a parable of a king who lost his kingdom, and it all started with a promise of a single grain of rice. The king, excited about the game of chess, offered one wish to the inventor of the game. The sage inventor asked the king to place one grain on rice on the first square of the chessboard, two on the second, four on the third and so on – and to keep doubling the grains on each of the subsequent 64 squares of the chess board.

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.