Saturday Morning Junior Chess Class (Over-the-board) 2026
Where: MCC, 66 Leicester Street, Fitzroy
When: Every Saturday during school term, except as noted, and casually during school holidays, from 10am to noon.
Term 3:
September 5 & 12
Casual Holidays:
September 19 & 26
October 3
Term 4:
October 10, 17 & 24
November 7, 14, 21 & 28
December 5 & 12
Pricing:
If paying for a full term: $162 term if prepaid available for members (Term 4 2026)
Member Casual: $23
Non-member Casual: $28
Price increase 1 Jan 2027:
Member Casual: $25 Non-member Casual: $30 Term Payments available for members at $20 per week.
Format: Welcome by coach, coach explaining themes/patterns/games on a chess board, classes include theory, puzzles, and analysis of games the children have played.
Level: Enthusiastic beginner to early club competition level (5 years - approx. 18 years old).
Objective: To encourage love of chess, chess learning confidence and an introduction to club-level tournament chess.
Coaches: IM Ryder Testolin, FM Kai Jie Soo, Sophie Davis, Jasper Hird, Leo Kalina and Randheer Thogata (profiles below).
Contact: Elizabeth Warren (0400 405 220, elizabethlaurenwarren@gmail.com)
Coach - FM Kai Jie Soo
Kai began playing chess in his school’s chess club, age 8. Since then he has represented his schools at national and international scholastic events. Kai would also go on to represent Singapore in the World Youth Chess Championships. More recently, Kai achieved his FM title at the 2023 Oceania Zonals. Having struggled to break plateaus in chess, Kai understands the common difficulties faced by amateurs and hopes to help students in similar situations while working toward the IM title.
Coach - IM Ryder Testolin
Ryder Testolin is a young Australian chess player who started playing at the age of 8, and is now an International Master. Among numerous other chess titles, Ryder won the Australian Junior U16 Championships in 2020. He aims to inspire motivated players to grow their chess skills while developing patience, focus and resilience through the game.
Coach - Sophie Davis
Sophie began her chess journey being introduced to the board game pretty much as soon as she could walk and talk. Having played overseas representing Australia in a handful of junior chess events in places like Slovenia and Thailand, Sophie has had lots of tournament and game experience. Now, with a passion for primary school teaching, Sophie hopes to do the two things she loves: working with children and playing chess! She hopes to expand the love and knowledge of chess in a fun and inclusive environment. Chess is for everyone!
Coach - Jasper Hird
Jasper first discovered chess when he was 6 and began playing for fun, up until he discovered his passion for the game, and started practicing seriously at the age of 12. Not too long after, Jasper started attending tournaments and over time he began to win some of these tournaments. These results were achieved with the help of GM Dmitry Gordievsky’s teachings and now Jasper is keen to use this valuable experience to help teach the children at MCC. Jasper will share his knowledge and passion for the game while helping them develop their strategic abilities and calculation skills.
Coach - Leo Kalina
Leo began playing chess at the age of 6 and quickly got a big passion for the game. In 2023 he won the Australian u14 Chess Championship and went on to represent Australia in both the World Youth Chess Championships and the Asian Youth Championships. In 2024 he achieved the Candidate master title (CM). Having played at many strong national and international tournaments, he can help students with their chess skills and strategies to improve their games. Leo believes in teaching tactics, helping students to recognise key patterns and improve their overall calculation.
Coach - Randheer Thogata
Randheer began playing chess at the age of 10 and started competing in FIDE-rated tournaments when he was 11. Since then, he has consistently developed his game through tournament experience. Some of his achievements include 2nd place at the 2023 Oceania Junior U18 Championships and 3rd place at the 2023 Australian Junior U18 Championships. In 2025, Randheer earned the FIDE Master title and has since reached a peak FIDE rating of 2200. Having experienced the challenges of improving through different rating phases, Randheer has a good understanding of the types of obstacles players face. His coaching focuses on calculation, tactics, and positional understanding, helping students build confidence, improve tournament performance, and enjoy the game while working toward their chess goals.
About the program
Melbourne Chess Club has offered the Saturday morning program for many years as a way of introducing junior players to club level chess. The program aims to give the junior players the skills and confidence to play in tournaments at the club. In particular the Saturday Allegro, and for the more enthusiastic players, the open long-play competitions.
Many of the strong junior players at the club started with the Saturday morning program.