Tayler Boyke-Darbouze is a senior at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School. She is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in biology with a mathematics concentration at Medgar Evers College. When she graduates high school, she will graduate with a CUNY-issued associate’s degree. Tayler learned how to play chess, fairly recently, and has learned a lot through her peers at College Bound. Tayler has many aspirations in life, which include becoming the first African-American female grandmaster. She takes us along her Chess in the Schools journey and helps us understand how valuable the CIS community is to her. 

ML

What are you passionate about?

Tayler Boyke-Darbouze 

I’m passionate about math research. In general, math was something that always came easy to me because I’m able to pick up on patterns quickly and that’s what I think math is all about. I’d say that over the years, my love for math has grown a lot and it made me realize that I want to contribute to the vast body of knowledge in the math community. I’m interested in exploring math concepts on a larger scale and coming up with problems that other people can solve. I’m equally as passionate about chess. This year, I started a GoFundMe for my school’s chess team. We raised nearly $2,000! Lastly, I’m interested in the Chinese language. I’ve taken Chinese ever since I was in the sixth grade and it’s something I’m doing even now. I know it’s going to be hard, but I want to be fluent in Chinese and study abroad in China. 

ML

I think it’s super interesting that you are learning Chinese! They say language is a part of a culture, and the fact that you going out of your way to learning about another culture is amazing

TB 

Thank you.

ML

You said you are a huge fan of math, do you think that there’s some sort of correlation between math and chess?

TB 

So many people have asked me this question. I think there is a correlation because to me, the way I see math is through patterns. In chess there are patterns, and if you pick up on them you’ll do better. I find that’s how I got better. I did a lot of puzzles and with time I started to pick up on the patterns.  So I’d say in that sense there is a correlation, but it’s not to say if you’re good at math you’ll be good at chess. 

ML

Who taught you how to play chess?

TB  

So, I learned how to play in my sophomore year [2022]. It was a combination of my friends, Ella and Christian, who taught me how the pieces move. I didn’t know about en passant or even that pawns could promote. I figured out the rest of the rules by going to tournaments and meeting people at College Bound. People were nice and offered to help me. Some people gave me lessons and others gave me advice. I think the person who helped me the most on my chess journey was Kyrel [Kyrel Burnett, an alumnus of the College Bound program]. I feel like he’s responsible for most of the achievements that I have. 

ML

You’ve been playing chess for over a year, what has changed from when you first started?

TB 

I’ve always been competitive, no matter what I was doing. I did karate in elementary school. I was on a competition team, and I became a black belt by the time I was 10. During that time in life, that’s how I identified myself. I was eventually diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter disease, which is a knee problem. I couldn’t walk the same, which meant I had to quit Karate. When I was introduced to chess, I found a way to take my old competitiveness and push it into chess. There were a lot of people telling me I couldn’t do it, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could.

ML

How did your journey with Chess in the Schools begin?

TB  

When I went to my first tournament, Will came up to me and my friend. He knew my friend but didn’t know me. He gave me his Chess in the Schools business card. I ended up leaving it on the table because I wasn’t too sure if I was ready to put myself out there. Later that day, he came up to me again and told me he wanted to see me in the program. I was a bit scared to join because I didn’t do anything outside of school that wasn’t school-related. The commitment was scary. 

ML

What’s your current goal or overall goal in life?

TB 

Well, I’ve always liked math, so when I was a freshman I used to say I’d just major in applied mathematics. It was quite simple. Over the pandemic, I saw how a lot of people lost their jobs, and I didn’t want that to be me. I want to be able to have a job that’s always going to be in demand, especially if something like this were to happen again. I was looking through majors and one caught my eye, it was called financial engineering. I realized I could major in that and hope to find a promising job. I have 2 chess goals. One of them is more attainable than the other, but I still want to try. The first one is, I want to graduate high school with a USCF rating of 1,500. My next goal is to become a grandmaster. I know it’s going to take a lot of work and some time, but it’s my long-term goal.

ML

You’d be the first African American female

TB 

Yeah, so I hope I can do it because I’m excited about that.

ML

Is there a specific college or a few colleges that are at the top of your list?

TB 

For the longest time, Cornell has been my dream school because not only am I interested in their engineering program, but I like their chess team and I want to be on it. Other than that I have places like NYU, Columbia, and Carnegie Mellon at the top of my list. I was talking to Chano [College Bound Director] about my questions and he set me up on a Zoom call with a CIS alumnus who went to NYU [Shahnawaz Sheikh]. He was cool and helped me feel more relaxed going into this college process. 

ML

What do you do outside of College Bound?

TB  

Since the ninth grade, I’ve been a member of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. The program teaches minorities about the disparities rooted in the healthcare system. I don’t see myself too much on a healthcare type of track, but it’s a really interesting program. I’ve learned a lot of things there that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Also, I’ve been an altar server at my church since the fourth grade. I help the priest out with the proceedings of the mass.

ML

Speaking of minorities, would you ever consider yourself a double minority within the chess world?

TB  

Yes! I’m African American and a female. Some girls play chess, but not a lot. There aren’t that many Black people either. I remember when I went to Nationals, I saw people from the Caribbean. Seeing them made me super excited because it was such a rare thing to see. I understand that in some places, you’re going to end up being a minority. In those moments, I feel like it’s extra important to shine. 

ML

What do you think is essential in chess?

TB 

Friendship is essential. At the start of my sophomore year, that was something that I wanted. I didn’t know how to go about that because Medgar Evers doesn’t have many activities. They have the main sports, but I didn’t want to do that. Ever since I started my journey with Chess in the Schools I’ve made meaningful connections that I don’t think I would have made otherwise. 

ML

What’s your favorite memory at Chess in the Schools?

TB 

I have so many that this is a hard question for me. I have two that are fairly recent that mean a lot to me. Last Saturday [October 14, 2023] it was my second time being a Tournament Director and I gave out the awards. Seeing the kids running up to get their awards with the biggest smiles on their faces made me happy. I was happy for them. I value that moment, because usually when it’s you winning that award you don’t appreciate it as much. Looking at it through a different lens made me realize how cool of an experience it was. Another memory was when we went to the Boston Consulting Group office. I remember Shaun [Director of Programs] pulled me aside. We were talking about the progress I had made so far, and he told me I had a lot of potential to become a really good chess player. When I heard Shaun tell me that, I felt really happy. To hear that coming from him made me tear up a little bit like I felt too happy.

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