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Rice on a Chessboard

the power of doubling, square by square

A legend tells of a king offering a reward. The inventor of chess asks for 1 grain of rice on the first square of the board, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, doubling on each of the 64 squares. The king thinks it is a tiny request.

Source: A classic puzzle, retold by INFINITE SUM and fact-checked against our curated notes

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