Young chess player, Jacob Petersen is making the right move by starting university before completing school. Photo by Russel Guse at the Central Telegraph, Biloela.A 14-year-old chess player from Biloela in Central Queensland may have made his biggest move yet by beginning university study while still in school.

Biloela State High School year 10 student Jacob Petersen may be just starting to learn about algebra and biology at school, but the high achiever is also studying business computing and human anatomy at Central Queensland University (CQU) this year.

This opportunity has been made possible through CQU's Start Uni Now (SUN) which allows students from years 10 to 12 to study university courses while still in secondary school.

SUN enables Jacob to receive credits for these courses, if after completing school he decides to enrol in the degree programs which offer the courses. This could mean fast-tracking his degree, with the opportunity to graduate early.

According to Jacob, SUN will give him an insight into what's to come after school.

"If I can do well at these courses, I'll have experience in what's coming up if I want to do uni later on in life."

Jacob will study the university courses via distance education with online support from lecturers and tutors.

Chess, often referred to as the game of kings, has been a part of Jacob's life since he was 8-years-old. He was introduced to the game of tactics and logic by his Thangool State School teacher who used the game as a fun classroom activity.

Jacob, the strongest member of a 4-person team at his school, has been competing around the region for the chance to represent the zone at the competition finals in Brisbane later this year.

When asked what his plans were for a future career, Jacob said: "Well, anything to do with computers at the moment, but apart from that, forensic scientist or historian/symbologist".