Inventing a Classroom

On the afternoon of October 15, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) descended from heaven in her incarnation to bring inspiration and understanding to the pupils of the 新亚洲学校 (Xīnyàzhōu Primary School) in 龙岗区 (Lónggǎng District), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China. In black pants and a white blouse, with long dark hair hanging on her shoulders, the Queen took the stage of the conference hall with elegance and authority, giving a solo performance to her student audience which can be regarded more as a life lesson than just a chess class. She remembered when she got to hold the crown up for the first time as a Women’s World Chess Champion. “It is mostly a matter of persistence”, she said. More precisely, she thinks that a “3D persistence” is the artist’s secret: persistence in faith, persistence in goals, and persistence in dedication. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) didn’t regret — too much — giving up professional chess in favour of her academic career. “There’s no limit to life”, she said. “As the saying goes, there’s no best, only better. I want my life colourful; I want to learn more; I want to live new experiences and keep contributing others the best I have to offer”. And thus, soon after, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) moved to the 龙岗区外国语学校 (Lónggǎng Foreign Language School) just to take on 50-or-so pupils in a spectacular indoor simultaneous exhibition. As the saying goes, “A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early”. Photos: 李云云 (Lǐ Yúnyún)/深圳新闻网 (Shēnzhèn News).