Bitcoin’s decentralized consensus mechanism works based on some cleverly crafted incentive structures. The first and fundamental rule is that the chain with the most work is the correct one. This single rule obviates the need for a central arbitrator, determining which chain is correct as a function of the efforts of thousands of decentralized parties, each trying to extend the blockchain. The subsidy to miners keeps moving the blockchain forward, creating painful opportunity costs for miners who don’t mine the tip. These mechanisms, together with the difficulty adjustment, set the game theoretical framework for a chain that has marched forward, 1 block at time, with near 100% clarity…

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