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    Business Strategy with Hirav Shah                                 NOVEMBER 28, 2025        |  The Indian Eye 36

                           KNIGHT OF CHESS’S AND GENIUS ON

                BUSINESS — NEVER UNDERESTIMATE BOTH

             Business strategy isn’t about fancy jargon or 100-page decks. It’s about choices—the kind that make your heart
                 race. It’s knowing when to move, when to pause, and when to do something that no one else saw coming

                                              board may look flat, but what you do   What does a knight move really look    a solid launchpad.” That launchpad?
                                              on it reveals your mindset—are you the      like in business?       It’s the 6+3+2 formula:
                                              attacker, the planner, the defender, or   It’s not chaos—it’s clarity with   Hard work, Mindset, Skills, Strat-
                                              the disruptor?                    courage. A knight move might be a new   egy, Execution, Luck + Hunger, Ded-
                                                  In  business,  you’re  surrounded   product line no one expected, a bold   ication, Consistency + Innovation and
                                              by other players—teams, customers,   rebrand, or an offbeat collaboration.   Marketing.
                                              competitors, trends. Each move must   It might confuse people at first—but it   You don’t make Knight moves
                                              be made with clarity, but also with gut.   grabs attention, opens a new lane, and   blindly. You make them brilliantly.
                                              And when you start looking at business   makes others rethink their next step.  Reflection Exercise:
                                              as a game of chess, you realize—it’s   Think about it: the biggest market   Is Your Business Too Straight?
                                              never about who moves first. It’s about   shifts didn’t come from obvious moves.   Take 5 quiet minutes. Grab a pen.
                       HIRAV SHAH             who moves right.                  They came from leaps. Someone     • What’s the last move you made that
                                                                                jumped where others crawled. Some-  truly surprised your market?
                                               What is the role of the rook in business?
                  efore the world claps for your   The rook is the classic corpo-  one believed in a corner the market   • Where are you following the crowd—
                                                                                                                    and it’s slowing you down?
                                                                                ignored. That’s not guesswork. That’s
                  success, before your story trends   rate thinker. Structured. Straight-
            Bon social media—there comes a    line. Obeys the rules. It moves in neat   Knight work.              • If you weren’t afraid, what move
                                                                                                                    would you make this quarter?
            moment where you’re stuck, cornered,   files—up, down, left, right. In business,   Why do knight moves often succeed more   • Now ask: is it time to stop walking
            out of obvious moves. You’ve done   this  is your systems guy. Your opera-  than expected moves?        in lines… and start leaping like a
            everything “right,” and yet something   tions-heavy empire builder.     Because they create surprise—and   Knight?
            feels off. That’s when you realize—   Big brands love the rook ap-  surprise is magnetic. When  everyone
            this isn’t just business. It’s chess. And   proach—scale, replicate, repeat. It   expects your next move, they plan for it.   Frequently Asked Questions
            the game doesn’t always reward the   works. It’s solid. It’s dependable. But   But when you break the pattern, they   Q: Is the knight move just about taking risks?
            strongest or the fastest. It rewards the   here’s the twist: when every player is   pause. They watch. And in that pause,   No. It’s about taking calculated risks—based on
            one who thinks different. The one who   moving in straight lines, who really sur-  you gain ground.   insight, timing, and courage.
            stops walking straight and dares to take   prises the board? The rook wins bat-  Customers love newness. Investors   Q: Can small businesses make knight moves too?
            the Knight move—unexpected, bold,   tles. But rarely shakes the system.  respect audacity. Competitors freeze.   They must. Agility is their biggest weapon. One
            and brilliant. This article isn’t just about   What is the role of the knight in business?  Knight moves don’t just disrupt—they   good leap can change everything.
            strategy. It’s about the mindset that   Ah, the knight. It doesn’t follow   reset the narrative. And in business, the   Q: How do I know if my bold idea is valid?
            separates the average from the unfor-  the rules of movement. It doesn’t go   one who controls the narrative wins the   If it aligns with your long-term vision and adds
            gettable. Because in the world of busi-  straight. It turns. It leaps. It jumps   market.             value to the market—validate it and leap.
            ness, the genius doesn’t walk straight.   over others. That’s your visionary   “When everyone expects the next   Q: What’s the danger of only moving like a rook?
            He leaps.                                                           move to be obvious, the Knight move   You become predictable. And in a fast market,
                                              founder. The mad one. The one who
              What is business strategy—and why   doesn’t fit the mold but ends up re-  becomes your secret weapon.”  predictable becomes invisible.
             should it matter to every entrepreneur?  writing the game.           How do you know when it’s time for a   Q: How do I make a knight move without breaking
                Business strategy isn’t about fan-  Knight-thinkers in business don’t      knight move?           everything else?
            cy jargon or 100-page decks. It’s about   wait for  permission.  They  see what’s   There’s no neon sign. But your   Start small. Test fast. And protect your core while
                                                                                                                  leaping with precision.
            choices—the kind that make your heart   missing and they fill it—not with force,   business whispers. You’ll feel it when   Q: What if my knight move fails?
            race. It’s knowing when to move, when   but  with  finesse.  They  pivot.  They   growth feels like a grind. When  your   Even failed Knight moves bring growth. It’s bet-
            to pause, and when to do something   disrupt. They don’t play chess—they   brand blends in. When your team   ter to learn by leaping than to fade standing still.
            that no one else saw coming. In real   change chess. When a knight enters the   works harder but nothing’s really shift-
            business,  strategy  is  your  screenplay.   board, even the queen watches.  ing. That’s the moment.             Final Thought
            Your vision. Your battle plan.       Why do most businesses still move    You’ve outgrown the straight path.   “Chess Ka Knight Aur Business Ka
                You don’t just survive by doing           like rooks?           Now it’s time to turn. To leap. To sur-
            more. You grow by doing what mat-     Because it feels safe. It looks   prise. The Knight move doesn’t just   Genius—Dono Seedhe Nahi Chalte.”
            ters—at the right time, in the right way.   smart. It’s predictable. You can explain   revive a strategy—it reawakens your   Straight moves build stability.
            That’s strategy. It’s the unseen hand   it in boardrooms. You can justify it with   story.            Knight moves build legacy.
            that pulls you ahead while others are   data. That’s the comfort of the rook   Is the knight move about recklessness or   The question is—are you here to
            still figuring out what’s happening. And   move. But in a world that’s evolving dai-  readiness?      build a company… or a story worth re-
            in a world that changes by the minute,   ly, straight-line logic becomes straight-  Let’s be clear—it’s not rebellion.   membering?
            strategy isn’t optional—it’s your only   line  growth—flat,  slow,  forgettable.  It’s reinvention. Knight moves are bold,
            shot at legacy.                                                                                       Writer Hirav Shah is the Global Business
                                                  As Business Strategist Hirav Shah   yes. But the smart ones are always val-
            Why are chess pieces powerful metaphors   says, “Straight-line thinking often   idated. They’re powered by data, tim-  Strategist, Game Changer, and Author
                       for business?          leads to straight-line results. The game   ing, insight—and the right mindset.  of 19+ books—trusted worldwide for
                Because business, like chess, is a   changes only when you change the pat-  As  Hirav Shah puts it,  “Validate   validating big decisions of entrepreneurs,
                                                                                                                       sportsmen, and entertainers.
            game of thinking ahead. Every move   tern.” Playing safe has its limits. Disrup-  before you leap. Even bold moves need
            says something about who you are. The   tion begins where predictability  ends.                         Email : Business@hiravshah.com

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