When Alan Trefler, CEO of US-based Pegasystems, a technology company, came to Hyderabad recently, he couldn't resist playing a friendly game of chess. Trefler, 49, was after all the co-champion of the 1975 World Open Chess Championship. So in a three-hour match, he simultaneously took on 25 challengers despatched by his India vendors, including Satyam, Cognizant and Vertusa. He beat 24 of them, and the last guy had to leave midway to catch a flight! Says Trefler, who still has a master rating: "This game helps to create a community for employees and partners." Trefler could have played the game with his eyes shut. How many vendors do you know who'd risk going one up on their customer?

THE POWER SET

Ambani Tata Premji Nilekani What else could rich and powerful CEOs possibly crave for? To be actually acknowledged as being powerful. Which is why it was interesting to read Fortune's recent Asia's 25 Most Powerful list for 2005. There were just four Indian CEOs on the list, but their power meters show wild swings. Tata Group chief, Ratan Tata, who wasn't even ranked the year before, emerges as the most powerful of the four at #12. Reason? The string of acquisitions (Daewoo, NatWest) that his companies made in Asia recently. The joker in the pack: Infosys Technologies' Nandan Nilekani, who vaults 10 places to take a slot right below Tata. Why? Blame it on Tom Friedman, who credits Nandan for inspiring his best-seller. In stark contrast, Wipro's Azim Premji dropped from 10 to 19-possibly due to CEO Vivek Paul's departure. Another CEO who's taken a hit, but to a lesser extent, is Mukesh Ambani, who falls to 17 from 13. No prizes for guessing why: The bitter feud between him and his younger brother, Anil, and the consequent split.

Life In The Cockpit

The last time Vijaypat Singhania featured in these pages some months ago, he had the writer's block to complain about. But the dogged 67-year-old has prevailed. Recently, the Chairman Emeritus of Raymond unveiled his new book, An Angel in the Cockpit, which recounts his experience of flying over the last 50 years across 5,000 miles of land and sea. "I conquered my mind and in the conquest found myself," says Singhania. He isn't done with flying yet. He is now getting ready for the mi-70k mission-a five-hour flight in a hot air balloon to scale an altitude of 70,000 feet above sea level. It's an attempt to break the current world record. Let's wish him luck.

Narrow Escape

Somebody should have told him not to put a service tax on the shamiana guys. Last fortnight, when Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was in his constituency of Sivaganga to inaugurate Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) 11th bottling plant in Tamil Nadu, a portion of the roof covering the dais, from where he was addressing the audience, fell on his head. Chidambaram was given first aid for minor injury and rushed to a hospital for a ct scan, which came out clean. IOC's Chairman Sarthak Behuria was among the other VIPs on the dais, but managed to escape unhurt because he saw the roof coming down. If you are in the tent business, get out of it before the next Budget.

Makeover Season

The recent revamps at Dr Reddy's labs (first a deal for funding its generics launch in the us and then one for new drug discovery) have been closely watched by all. But there's one makeover it has pulled off very quietly. And that is Reddy family scion satish's brand new look. Reddy Jr, 38, who's the MD & COO, has dumped his glasses (courtesy a lasik surgery) and cropped his hair real close. Reddy was travelling, but his wife Deepti, who publishes a city journal, Wow! Hyderabad, offered an explanation: "It is not for vanity, but convenience. He had been wearing high-powered glasses as a kid." Whatever the reason, Satish, you look cool. Just don't get any ideas about Bollywood. You've got a better show going.

THE SWIFT SET

Singh Munjal Das Chaba Nothing like a cause to bring corporate chieftains to their feet. When BT went to press, a host of Delhi-based CEOs had signed up for Hutch's Delhi Half Marathon. Among them were Ranbaxy's Malvinder Singh, General Motors' Rajeev Chaba, CII's Tarun Das and Hero Group's Pankaj Munjal. While Singh and Chaba were planning to run along with their corporate teams of 25 to 30 each, Das and Munjal had signed up for the Dream Team, offering not just to run, but raise Rs 1 lakh each in charity. "I am not an athlete, but I hope to finish the Great Delhi Run (seven km) without copping it," laughs gm's Chaba, whose wife and 12-year-old son are also running. Ranbaxy's Singh will be running the seven-km race too, and he's thrilled not just about the race, but being able to help GiveIndia, India's first "philanthropy exchange" and the marathon's charity partner. "This is the first event of its kind and I hope there are more of them that bring people from different sections of the society together," says Singh.

-Contributed by R. Sridharan, E. Kumar Sharma, Ahona Ghosh and Ashish Gupta