Good chess comes out of Brooklyn and after GM Maurice Ashley comes Darrian Robinson to continue the tradition. She has been selected to represent the U.S. in the 2006 World Youth Chess Championships in Batumi, Georgia. What the petite 11-year old lacks in physical stature, she makes it up over the board and has earned the moniker, "silent assassin."

Darrian becomes the most recent player of African descent to represent the U.S. in the world championships. Medina Parrilla (of the Bronx, New York) had also earned her international stripes in the World Youth in Greece and France. She also qualified. As of December 2005, Darrian was ranked by the United Stated Chess Federation as number 5 in the nation for girls under 13 years of age with a peak rating of 1664.

She took up chess at Brooklyn's P.S. 308 2½ years ago and last year won under-10 championship at the All Girls National tournament hosted by Garry Kasparov.  Enroute to her victory she overcame a 300-point rating deficit to defeat the top-rated player. The 4'11" 70-pound Darrian is currently in the 6th grade at Brooklyn's I.S. 318 and according to her mother Cenceria, has a no nonsense approach to the game. "She has very few words for her opponents in the beginning or the end," stated the proud mother.

Darrian participates in Chess-in-the-Schools in New York and given her aspirations as a physician, her favorite subject is science. Of course she enjoys chess and hopes one day to become a Grandmaster. She will make her international debut in Georgia and hopes to make a step toward her goal. Darrian lives in Brooklyn, New York with her parents, Cenceria Edwards and Darran Robinson.

U.S. Qualifiers for World Youth Championships (USCF website)

Posted by The Chess Drum: 11 May 2006