Chess classes for Brighton kids — top coaching without the private-tutor price

If you've been weighing up chess tuition for your child, you've probably noticed most options are private tutors — and around Melbourne, one-on-one chess coaching typically runs anywhere from $50 to $200 an hour. Momentum Chess takes a different approach: small Sunday group classes of around ten kids, taught by Gabriel Rips — a coach ranked in the top 0.2% of players on Chess.com, who has won and placed in dozens of tournaments and has more than five years of tutoring experience. At $25 a lesson, with the first week completely free, it's a fraction of the price of private coaching — no membership fees, no lock-in. Over 70 kids have attended so far, across 112 registered families.

There's also something a private tutor simply can't provide: real games against other kids. Chess improvement comes from facing genuine opponents at your own level, week after week — winning some, losing some, and learning to think carefully under a bit of friendly pressure. Every class mixes coached lessons with plenty of over-the-board play, and the four groups are split by level, so a complete beginner and a confident player each land among the right peers. Ages are roughly 5-12 (Prep to Grade 6 is the core; older kids are welcome), classes are drop-off, and everything — boards, pieces, puzzles — is provided. If your child is at Brighton Primary or Gardenvale Primary and comes home talking about chess, this is an easy next step: a quick run down Bay Rd or South Rd, with street parking on and around Livingston St.