Sunday chess classes for McKinnon kids — four stops down the line

McKinnon is a suburb famous for its school zone, and plenty of local families think hard about how their kids spend the week. Chess earns its place on that list. A good chess lesson is an hour of structured critical thinking: planning several moves ahead, weighing one idea against another, losing a piece and working out the calmest way back into the game. Kids practise concentration, patience and decision-making — and because it's a game they genuinely want to win, the thinking never feels like homework. If your child is at McKinnon Primary or working toward the secondary years, those are exactly the habits that carry back into the classroom.

Lessons run Sunday afternoons at 2 Livingston St, Highett, and the trip is simple: about 8 minutes' drive via Jasper Rd, with street parking on and around Livingston St — or take the train, since McKinnon and Highett sit on the same Frankston line just four stops apart, and the venue is a short walk from Highett station. Classes are drop-off, so you don't need to stay, and everything is provided — boards, pieces and puzzles. Each group is kept small (around ten kids) so every child gets real attention from the coach, Gabriel Rips — a top-0.2% ranked player on Chess.com with a Working With Children Check. Over 70 kids have already come through the program, and it holds 5.0 stars on Google.