School of Tomorrow

On Monday, just three days after her appointment ceremony, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (pictured above on her graduation day outside St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford on November 9, 2019) has already taken service as a Professor at the School of Physical Education, Normal College (Faculty of Education), 深圳大学 (Shēnzhèn University), no matter that her students will not be admitted until next fall. “I’m just preparing myself for my teaching assignment”, she told 北青-北京头条 (Běiqīng-Běijīng Headlines). After graduating from Peking University (PKU) with a degree in International Studies, and then from the University of Oxford with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP), and after having been the youngest Women’s World Chess Champion ever at 16, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) can now also boast of being the youngest professor ever at 深圳大学 (Shēnzhèn University). Notwithstanding her direct acquaintance with the subjects of her professorship, yet 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) ambitiously aims at elaborating the development of chess pedagogy into a comprehensive higher education program, involving the study of other disciplines. She does not fear change, since change is a challenge and a new venture: “I hope I can still keep pace with the times and renew myself — serving the public interest as best I can. Life is about seeing more perspectives”, she said. In the last years she devoted more time to study than to chess, but, if asked, she’ll be glad to enjoy a chess interlude in Europe. But who knows when? “Now almost all competitions have moved online because of the pandemic. So there’s no more need to fly and live abroad for half a month”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said. “Furthermore, most online competitions are scheduled at hours when in China is night time. If nothing else, there’s no conflict between day work hours and night sleep hours”. Photo courtesy of 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán).