Chess lessons in Melbourne & online

Better moves start with better thinking.

I'm Jody Middleton, a Woman Candidate Master who has represented Australia at the FIDE Olympiad and the World Junior Championships. I've coached privately and in schools since 2021, working with juniors, adults and school teams from their first moves to national championships.

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Melbourne chess coach Jody Middleton deep in thought at the board, wearing the Australian team jacket
World Girls Junior Championships 2023, Mexico City
About

About Jody

I’ve loved chess since I played my first tournaments as a seven-year-old, and it’s taken me all the way to representing Australia at the FIDE Olympiad and the World Junior Championships.

Whether you’re learning for the first time, or preparing for a national title, I’ll meet you where you are and build lessons around you. Expect patient explanations, plenty of your own games on the board, and a coach who gets just as excited as you do when an idea finally clicks.

Chess trivia

How well do you know the game?

Eight questions at a time, drawn from a bank of 64, one for each square on the board. They cover rules, openings, history and famous players. Some are easy, some will surprise even club players.

Record

Five national titles, and Australia's colours abroad.

2022 & 2023World Junior Championships

Represented Australia two years running, in Sardinia (2022) and Mexico City (2023).

2021FIDE Olympiad

Played for Australia alongside GMs Temur Kuybokarov and Zhao Zong-Yuan, against teams including China and Romania.

2021Australian Schools Teams Champions

Coached Presbyterian Ladies’ College to their sixth consecutive national title.

2019Australian Girls Champion

The top title in Australian junior girls' chess.

2011–17Four age titles

Australian Girls Champion at Under 8 (2011), 10 (2012), 12 (2015) and 16 (2017).

FIDE titleWoman Candidate Master

Awarded by FIDE, the international chess federation.

Story

From Box Hill to the Olympiad

Jody Middleton smiling at the board before a game at the 2022 World Girls Junior Chess Championship in Sardinia, Italy, wearing the Australian team shirt
Representing Australia at the World Girls Junior Chess Championship 2022 in Sardinia, Italy
  1. 2009

    Started chess with Dark Horse Chess, coached by Vanja Rozenblat and Geoff Saw.

  2. 2010

    First tournaments at age seven, playing regularly at Box Hill Chess Club.

  3. 2011–19

    Competed every year at the Australian Junior Championships, winning five girls' titles. Helped lead the Presbyterian Ladies' College team to five consecutive Australian Schools Championship wins.

  4. 2021

    Started coaching, and played for the Australian team at the FIDE Online Olympiad.

  5. 2022–23

    Represented Australia at the World Junior Championships, in Sardinia (2022) and Mexico City (2023).

Who I coach

Chess lessons for every stage

Unrated · first tournaments

Juniors starting out

I started at Box Hill Chess Club at age seven, so I know what it takes to get from learning the rules to playing a first rated game. Lessons build good habits early and keep it fun.

More about lessons for kids →
Rated · 1000 to 1800

Improving players

An opening repertoire that suits your style, middlegame planning, and endgame technique. We review your own tournament games to find what's really costing you points.

Championship level

Competitive juniors

Preparation for state and Australian Junior Championships from someone who has won them, including opponent preparation and managing nerves and the clock.

How it works

From first lesson to next tournament

I push students outside their comfort zone, and I ask them to teach ideas back to me. Explaining a plan or a pattern out loud is the fastest way to find out whether you really understand it.

  1. 1.

    Assessment

    In the first lesson we play, look at a few positions together, and talk about goals. I work out where the student is and what will help most.

  2. 2.

    A plan

    A short list of priorities for the next few months, such as a first repertoire, tactical pattern work, or specific endgames.

  3. 3.

    Games and review

    Students play, bring their games back, and walk me through their thinking. Going over real games, with the student doing the explaining, is where most improvement happens.

  4. 4.

    Tournaments

    When they're ready, I help choose events and prepare for them, then review the results afterwards.

Testimonials

What families say

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School chess programs

Coaching school teams to national titles

As a student I helped PLC win the Australian Schools Championship five years in a row. In 2021 I came back as coach and led the team to its sixth consecutive title.

I also coached Glendal Primary School to victory, and have coached at Korowa Anglican Girls' School, Scotch College and Mount Scopus Memorial College, running weekly programs, team selection and preparation for interschool competitions.

  • Presbyterian Ladies' College
  • Glendal Primary School
  • Korowa Anglican Girls' School
  • Scotch College
  • Mount Scopus Memorial College

PLC’s record and school programs →

Jody Middleton sitting on a bench with six students in school uniform, their faces covered by chess queen icons
PLC chess team winning the Australian School Team Championships 2021
In the media

Press & video

All press & records
Jody Middleton and another player lying on the grass in a park, smiling on either side of a chessboard
Lessons

Chess lessons in Melbourne and online

In person

Private chess lessons at my home in Melbourne's inner east, an easy trip for families from Box Hill, Balwyn, Camberwell, Kew, Doncaster and Glen Waverley.

Online

Online chess lessons over video with a shared board on Lichess or Chess.com. Works well for students anywhere in Australia.

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Schools & clubs

School chess programs with weekly group sessions, team coaching and tournament preparation. Get in touch to discuss a program.

More about school programs →
Off the board

I’m also a violinist!

When I’m not teaching or competing, I’ve usually got my violin in my hand! I’ve performed with orchestras and chamber groups from Melbourne to Europe and Texas, and I play for weddings and events too. Pick up the bow and give it a go, then visit my violin site to hear the real thing, and to learn more about my life in music!

Visit my violin site ↗
Drag the bow up and down to play
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Press & records

In the media

Press & video

Records & profiles

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Testimonials

Kind words from families

From families of students I've coached, in private lessons and school programs.

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