ADVERTISEMENT
I used to play chess quite seriously as a child. When I was 16, I participated in a tournament in Madurai [in Tamil Nadu]. I was up against a player who was ranked nationally. It was a long, tough game that was adjourned late in the evening and was scheduled to continue the next day. That night, I was up agonising over possible moves and my strategy for the next day. But, try as I did, I could not think of a way to defeat my opponent. Sensing that something was bothering me, my mother asked what the problem was. I told her the game seemed lost. My mother, who knew nothing about chess, asked me whether my opponent had won. When I told her that the game was still on, she wanted to know how I could have lost if the other person had not won. I didn’t manage to defeat my opponent the next day, but was able to hold out for a draw. The advice implicit in my mother’s observation has seen me through several situations, long after I stopped playing competitive chess.”
Fortune India is now on WhatsApp! Get the latest updates from the world of business and economy delivered straight to your phone. Subscribe now.
August 2025
As India continues to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, Fortune India presents its special issue on the nation’s Top 100 Billionaires. Curated in partnership with Waterfield Advisors, this year’s list reflects a slight decline in the number of dollar billionaires—from 185 to 182—even as the entry threshold for the Top 100 rose to ₹24,283 crore, up from ₹22,739 crore last year. From stalwarts like Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, and the Mistry family, who continue to lead the list, to major gainers such as Sunil Mittal and Kumar Mangalam Birla, the issue goes beyond the numbers to explore the resilience, ambition, and strategic foresight that define India’s wealth creators. Read their compelling stories in the latest issue of Fortune India. On stands now.