From grade 3 first move to coaching Casey's primary schools.
I learned chess in grade 3 and didn't stop playing through state and national-level competitions. Outside chess I studied to become a primary teacher — Bachelor of Education, classroom-trained. The two paths met when I realised most kids' chess classes were run by strong players who'd never been taught how to teach.
Oz Chess Kids started small — one class, one room, a handful of kids whose parents wanted something better than what was on offer. Seven years on, classes run three nights a week at Bunjil Place, and we've had students compete at the Victorian Interschool Chess Championship.
Every class still runs the same way: short, clear teaching at the front of the room, then most of the hour spent playing. Kids learn chess by playing chess. The job of the coach is to set up the right game against the right opponent, then get out of the way.