Anzel Laubscher: Meeting Students Where They Are in Chess Education
In this interview feature from ChessBase, Woman International Master (WIM) Anzel Laubscher describes her remarkable career journey, which brings together chess education, law and international development. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Laubscher stands out not only for her tournament chess background, but also for her work in chess in schools, teacher training and the development of educational materials. Serving within the FIDE Commission for Chess in Education since 2018, the experienced educator argues that in projects carried out across different continents, chess is more than a game: it is a powerful educational tool that develops thinking skills.
Laubscher's multifaceted identity is especially striking throughout the interview. On the one hand, she is a lawyer working in human rights and sports law; on the other, as a senior educator with close knowledge of classroom practice, she addresses the on-the-ground realities of chess pedagogy. At the heart of her approach is one idea: "Meeting students where they are." This points to an inclusive educational model that recognizes that not every child comes from the same social, cultural or academic circumstances. In chess instruction, she emphasizes that the focus should not be only on memorizing openings or piling up variations, but on core skills such as attention, planning, decision-making, patience and self-assessment.
According to assessments by figures who have worked in FIDE circles for many years, Laubscher is one of the leading names in educational chess, especially in Africa. Her active role in international events held in centers such as Batumi, Chennai and Budapest shows that her impact is not limited to theory, but extends to practical implementation as well. This points to an issue of growing importance in today's chess world: the balance between high-performance chess and broad-based educational chess. In modern chess, success is measured not only by producing elite grandmasters, but also by bringing chess to children through the right methods.
The personal side of the interview is at least as engaging as its professional dimension. Laubscher explains that her family, and especially her artistically inclined mother, played a defining role in shaping her character. These life experiences help explain why she sees chess not simply as a competitive field, but as a discipline intertwined with culture, identity and human development. The warm humor in her own words is also noteworthy: her love of coffee, her passion for the traditional South African barbecue culture of braai, and her playful remarks about her cat Lexi all show that a serious educator can also be a sincere and approachable figure.
Today, one of the most critical questions in debates about chess education is not so much what to teach children as how to teach them. This is exactly where the framework outlined by Anzel Laubscher becomes important. Teaching the movement of the pieces on the board is relatively easy; the real challenge is keeping a student's confidence, curiosity and desire to learn alive. For that reason, her views offer a valuable roadmap not only for teachers and coaches, but also for federations, school administrators and education policymakers. In chess, lasting development often depends not on the most brilliant move, but on being able to reach the right student, with the right method, at the right moment.