One of the members of the association recommended that he will perform a test to prove that the people that make up the population of the Globe are much closer to one another in every respect than they ever have been. He asked them to choose a prominent individual of the Earth's one and a half billion inhabitants, anywhere on Earth… after which he would be able to establish contact with that person through direct acquaintances… He only thought for two seconds and was ready with the answer. Well, you know, Zelma Lagerlöf, as a Noble Prize winner obviously personally knows Gustav V, King of Sweden, since it was the latter who presented her with the prize as the rules dictate.

Now, Gustav V of Sweden is a passionate tennis player who also takes part in international competitions and he has played against Kehrling, whom you also doubtlessly know well, as do I myself (our friend is also a strong tennis player). There you have the chain and only two links in the chain were needed for it out of a maximum of five points… Give me a harder exercise.

Frigyes Karinthy: Links in a Chain (excerpt)