Laone envisages a bright future in chess
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday June 12, 2025 09:25
Moshoboro is one of the talented young chess players in the country, after she recently won the 2025 national championship, beating Ndachipiwa Kgomotso in the last game. Her win saw her walk away P9, 000 richer from the final edition of the Metropolitan Life Botswana sponsored championship. The 16-year-old told MmegiSport that she concentrates on chess during weekends whilst during the week her focus is on school work at Kidz Academy International School in Kanye. Moshoboro is from Molepolole but currently resides in Kanye. “I managed to win the national championship because I trained really hard and practiced everyday to sharpen my thinking skills, with the help of my coach, Dimpho Mathinitse, who was guiding me through it all. YouTube videos and chess puzzles also helped a lot,” said the Ramotswa-born star.
Moshoboro started playing chess when she was five-years-old with her sister, Arona, under the tutelage of their father, Ofentse. At seven years, she played her first tournament and won a silver medal. Arona is currently studying in America under the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) Elite Scholarship. “My favourite piece on the chessboard is a queen because it moves any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, as long as its path is not blocked by other pieces. In terms of moves, I prefer e4 because it allows you to take control of the centre and opens for the pieces, so I can easily develop them. The greatest highlight of my career was winning the 2025 national championship,” she said. The new champion explained that chess has helped her to think in ways she did not know and were possible, develop critical thinking skills as well as calculation skills and planning ahead. “I don’t have fixed times for playing chess. If I’m busy, I don’t play much, but when I’m free, I play as much as I can. It depends on the workload from school, like during examinations. I am an aggressive player, and I am always looking for tactics. I would like to be remembered as a hard and dedicated player who broke national records, and I want to encourage the next generation to be better than me and strive for the best because not even the sky is the limit,” she added. Moshoboro said some of her career highlights include being the youngest WCM when she earned the title in 2016, and winning the Tertiary and Brigade Under-18 Open section in 2024. Her role model is Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa,19, because he has achieved a lot at a young age, and she aspires to be like him.
She said there is no set age limit to start one's chess career. “For me there is no right age to start playing chess, you can start at four years, which is a point where a child is able to recall events. Chess will improve their cognitive and social-emotional development, including improved critical thinking, focus and concentration,” she said. When asked what it will take for Africa to have a World Chess Champion, Moshoboro said that it is possible if there is access to resources to explore skills, investing in playing international tournaments, and challenging world players. She enjoys playing chess with her sister, and on days where she wants to take it easy, seeing Arona focused on chess is a motivation. “The support I get from my family is amazing, not just my immediate family but my extended family, friends, and my school. They are always there to support and encourage me to keep doing my best. My parents are always around. Chess is an emotional sport, my parents are a shoulder to cry on,” Moshoboro said. Meanwhile, Moshoboro’s mother Rosemary, a former amateur chess player, said she was grateful for her daughter’s achievements.
She said at first, Moshoboro played against her sister at home, and later on, they were surprised when the sisters brought home medals from tournaments. “After playing local and international games, it gave me hope about her progress, especially that she earned her WCM title within a year of playing chess. As parents, it is not easy for us to support her financially though sometimes we get help from our siblings. With private entities it is not easy since chess is an individual sport and they tend to support teams. It drains us a lot because for her to achieve all these, she has to be exposed to international tournaments to gain more skills hence the high costs of training and flight tickets and accommodation,” Laone's mother said.
FACT FILE
Full names: Laone Phoebe Moshoboro
Date of birth: February 8, 2009
Place of birth: Ramotswa
Profession: Student
Sport: Chess
Club: Enpassant
Move: e4
Role model: Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
Hobbies: Netball, hockey, football, and currently learning to play guitar and keyboard