Eight-year-old Marc Anthony Parrino, played his way into the championship books with a straight win in the New York State Chess Championships last weekend.

The PS116 student scored five wins and no losses in the championships held in Saratoga Springs to become the NY State co-champion after tying with four other youngsters who tied for first place.

The third grader - who lives in Stuy Town with his parents, Mary and Roger, and younger brother R.J. - is now ranked 27th in the country in the US Chess Federation's eight years and under class. But when it comes to blowing his own trumpet about his achievements, his mom says Marc is a little knight in shining armor.

"He's just a genuinely nice boy with no pretenses and he never brags," said proud Mary. "He was focused on being one of top 50 in his age group this year and we're just so proud this is what he wanted to do and he accomplished."

Marc's six-year-old brother is also a keen player, with both boys taking up the game offered as part of the curriculum at PS116.

"There's no competition between the boys," said Mary. "They both encourage each other on when then they play in tournaments. We are truly blessed."

Marc's weekend win marks the latest in a remarkable series of chess accomplishments which have seen him undefeated in the New York City Championships held in Manhattan Community College in December and become the First Grade NY State co-champion in 1999.

The youngster's natural talent has taken him all over the country to attend chess tournaments in Kentucky, Ohio, Boston and Orlando and his PS116 and NY State Primary Champions (Kindergarten through third grade).

One of the biggest thrills of his short career has been playing chess master and world champion, Gary Kasparov at the Mentor Foundation charity event at the Metropolitan Pavilion last November, when Kasparov played 25 boards simultaneously and won all 25 games.

"That was fun," Marc told T&V this week. "Playing Kasparov was a really good experience. It was great to see how much better he was than me, taking control over the board."

While he admits he would "quite like" to become a master himself, Marc so far can't decide between chess, baseball and football.

Last fall, he was the quarterback for his team and traveled to practice three times a week in Staten Island to play on the Staten Island Pee Wee Football League.

The springtime sees him don the Peter Stuyvesant Little League baseball uniform, but the summer has him back playing chess in the Stuyvesant Town Chess Tables in the Oval.

While he's enjoying the limelight of his latest win, Marc is already looking ahead to the Spring when he will compete in the Grade Super Nationals in Kansas City, Missouri.

Marc, who first started playing in kindergarten, said, "Playing chess is a lot of fun and you get to go on fun trips."