About Me
I was born and raised in New York City, learned to play chess at the age of five and have been passionate about the game since. Having never had a coach or formal instruction, I have always learned most by playing, losing, and making adjustments– certainly a product of the old adage “try, try again!”
At 15, I became the youngest African American National Master in history. In 2010, I became a Fide Master, and in 2014, an International Master. The same year, I switched federations and became a member of the Danish federation, where I also hold family ties.
After graduating from Duke University in 2015, I worked at Codecademy, a tech startup that teaches millions of people how to code. In 2019, I left my full-time position to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a Grandmaster. I achieved my first GM norm in Charlotte in 2018 and another in 2019.
