Comments on: The Singularity and the Chinese History of Chess

By: Vanguard.

Vanguard. — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:47:21 +0000

The reference to the Chess and the squares is simply to make a point about the ‘Singularity’ that is approaching it’s to do with exponential growth of computer power. Read the book, it’s good! If you’re interested in the future of technology and how it will impact us…

By: James Corey

James Corey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:30:26 +0000

I agree, it seems like whenever I read anything about either the game of chess or the rice story, it's origin is India or therabouts. I almost wish that whenever people write something that departs from the common perspective they would put a footnote to explain that it's on purpose and has some reason.

But then again, a person could say it was a trick to test whether a reader was bent on details rather than the larger picture. The problem is, it's impossible to distinguish between someone that habitually does this on purpose, and someone that doesn't particularly know what they're talking about.

I wouldn't be surprised if, at various times historically when such knowledge was less common, enterprising individuals would upon hearing this story seek to repeat it. I guess I would bet money that the scheme has been repeated, but it would be hard to prove whether it was independent.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see numbers for how many of them were punished immediately (the intended victim is already familiar with the story) versus slightly later (the intended victim was not yet familiar)?

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:33:11 +0000

I’ve heard the story more often in the setting of India or Persia. The grains can be wheat or rice. Wikipedia has an article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_and_chessboard_problem

By: John Pasden

John Pasden — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:37:16 +0000

True, same 64 squares, but it just sounds so weird to talk about putting things in the squares if it's a xiangqi board...

By: slowboat

slowboat — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:41:54 +0000

The story probably came from the Heavenly Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge.

By: Todd

Todd — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:21:36 +0000

I've heard the rice story too, but I seem to recall it was set in Egypt, or some other similarly hot and sandy country.

The Chinese chess board does have 64 squares, like a Western chess board (although it is also divided into two halves by a "river", and the chess pieces themselves are placed on the intersections rather than in the squares), so the story is numerically, if not historically, accurate.

By: Daan

Daan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:18:36 +0000

I’ve heard the story about the rice grains and exponential growth before, but featuring a European ruler rather than a Chinese emperor. I can’t recall who the European ruler was, but one or possibly both accounts would have to be wrong.

By: gregorylent

gregorylent — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:32:31 +0000

the rice analogy is a teaching story in many cultures.

and so is "the singularity", ta-da ... it is a metaphor for what already exists in the unbounded field of consciousness , just projected outwards. it is a metaphor for becoming enlightened

By: Rick Martin

Rick Martin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:17:19 +0000

My understanding of the origins of chess (where I got this info is lost on me) is that it came out of India, and that both Western and Chinese chess are variants that evolved as the original Indian game spread across the world.

I haven't played any sort of Indian chess, but Western chess and xiangqi are very similar -- with the exception of the river in the center of the board, which is said to have come from an ancient baijiu-swilling dongbei ren prone to relieving himself mid-game just uphill from his matches.