Kids' chess classes for Cheltenham families — minutes up Nepean Hwy

Here's a stat that surprises people: 16 Cheltenham families are in the program right now — the second-largest suburb group we have, behind only Bentleigh East. It makes sense once you look at a map. The venue at 2 Livingston St, Highett sits just off Highett Rd, about 5-6 minutes' drive up Nepean Hwy and roughly 5 minutes from Westfield Southland — plenty of parents pair chess drop-off with a Sunday Southland run and collect their child an hour later. There's street parking on and around Livingston St, and drop-off takes under a minute.

Classes are drop-off: you don't need to stay, which helps the kids settle and focus, and everything is provided — boards, pieces and puzzles — so you bring nothing but the child. Each of the four groups is kept small (around ten kids), so every child gets real attention from the coach, Gabriel Rips — ranked in the top 0.2% of players on Chess.com, with 5+ years of tutoring and a valid Working With Children Check. The core age range is Prep to Grade 6, though older kids are welcome, and there's no membership and no lock-in — you simply pay week to week. If your child is at Cheltenham Primary or Le Page Primary, the Sunday timeslots sit neatly clear of weekday sport and homework — and with sixteen local families already playing, there's a decent chance they'll recognise a face across the board.