When I first heard this story I thought not more of Alexander but less. “He cheated!” I said. Suppose I “solved” a randomized Rubik’s cube by jemmying it open with a screwdriver until all the pieces fell out and then pressing them back again in the right order? Who would praise that? But Alexander is congratulated by history for “thinking outside the box” and called “the Great.” One rule for the genius warrior kings of the world and another for the rest of us.
