Kids' chess classes just up the road from Moorabbin

For local families, this is about as close as a kids' chess class gets without being on your own street: the venue at 2 Livingston St, Highett sits just off Highett Rd, and the drive down Nepean Hwy takes about 5 minutes — one of the shortest trips of any suburb in the program. Nine Moorabbin families are already part of it, alongside kids from Highett, Bentleigh, Cheltenham and surrounds, so there's a fair chance your child will spot a familiar face across the board. There's street parking on and around Livingston St, and because classes are drop-off, the hand-over takes under a minute. Prefer the train? Highett station is one stop down the Frankston line, and the venue is a short walk from there.

The Sunday timetable is the part local parents seem to appreciate most, because it plays nicely with weekend sport. Basketball, swimming, footy or Auskick in the morning? No problem — the four class groups run between 12:00pm and 4:45pm, so most kids can finish their morning commitments, grab lunch and still make their chess session in the afternoon. Everything is provided (boards, pieces and puzzles), groups are kept small at around ten kids, and every class is taught personally by the coach, Gabriel Rips — a top-0.2% ranked player on Chess.com with more than five years of tutoring experience and a valid Working With Children Check.