Who is Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus? Turkiye's 14-Year-Old Chess Phenomenon Breaking Records
Turkey
At just 14, Turkiye's Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus is rewriting chess history, becoming the youngest player to hit 2600 ELO, pushing super-GMs to the limit, and delivering brilliancies that experts say belong in textbooks. Here's everything you need to know about the prodigy who's making the chess world pay attention.
The Quick Facts
Name: Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş
Born: June 3, 2011 (Age 14)
Birthplace: Bursa, Turkiye
Current Rating: 2646 ELO (highest ever at age 14)
Title: Grandmaster (GM)
World Ranking: Top 100 (currently around #87-100)
Playing Style: Tactical brilliance with fearless attacking play
Historic Achievements That Turned Heads
The Fourth-Youngest Grandmaster in History
In April 2024, Erdoğmuş completed his final GM norm at the Grenke Chess Festival, achieving the grandmaster title at 12 years, 9 months, and 29 days, making him the fourth-youngest GM in history. Only three players have ever achieved the title younger: Abhimanyu Mishra, Sergey Karjakin, and Gukesh Dommaraju.
Youngest Ever to Hit 2600 Rating
In October 2024, Erdoğmuş became the youngest player ever to reach a 2600 rating, at the age of 13 years, 3 months and 28 days. Playing on board three for 12th-placed Turkiye in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Erdogmus scored 8/11 points with a rating performance of 2636, which bumped his rating to 2601 on FIDE's October list.
To put this in perspective: this shattered the previous record by almost a year.
Breaking Judit Polgar's 35-Year Record
In May 2024, Erdoğmuş reached a rating of 2569, breaking Hungarian GM Judit Polgár's 35-year-old record as the highest ever rated player before the age of 13. Polgar's 1989 record of 2555 had stood unchallenged for over three decades.
The "Immortal" Game
In the September 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand, he defeated 19-year-old Indian GM Aditya Mittal in a game characterized by Leonard Barden as "immortal." Erdoğmuş allowed his opponent to promote to a 2nd queen on the board and then sacrificed his own Queen, in a combination ending with a pawn giving checkmate in its first move.
Former Indian national champion Praveen Thipsay remarked that Erdogmus's game will "find its place in the textbooks of chess combinations".
The Journey: From Kindergarten to Grandmaster
Early Beginnings
Erdoğmuş was born in Bursa, Turkiye, and was introduced to chess by his kindergarten teacher at the age of 6. What started as a classroom activity quickly revealed extraordinary talent.
Rapid Rise Through Youth Championships
In 2018, Erdoğmuş won the U-8 category at the 6th Çeşme International Open Chess Tournament, and won the same age-group category in the 2019 Turkiye Youth Chess Championship.
He won the U-8 European Chess Championship in 2019, winning all his 8 games and having secured the title before the final round, a perfect score that announced his arrival on the international stage.
International Master at 11
He attained the International Master title during the 3rd FIDE Council in 2022, becoming the youngest individual from Turkiye to achieve that title. In just a little over a year after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, his rating skyrocketed from 1955 to 2456.
Recent Highlights (2025)
Clash of Generations vs. Peter Svidler
In July 2025, he faced 49-year-old Russian GM Peter Svidler in a "Clash of Generations," a match of 6 classical games and 12 blitz games. Erdoğmuş won the classical portion of the match 4-2, scoring 3 victories.
The outcome of the match propelled Erdoğmuş to the Top 100 in classical rating at the age of 14, making him the 2nd-youngest player in history to make it at that age into the Top 100, behind only Judit Polgar who had made it at the age of 12.
World Cup 2025: Pushing Rapport to the Limit
In November 2025, Erdogmus faced Hungary's Richard Rapport (rated 2740) in Round 3 of the FIDE World Cup in Goa. Despite a 200+ rating point difference, the 14-year-old held his ground, drawing both classical games and forcing the match to rapid tiebreaks. Though Rapport eventually advanced, Erdogmus proved he belongs among chess's elite, refusing to be intimidated by reputation or rating.
Strong Tournament Results
In May 2025, he tied at 2nd place with Sweden's top GM Nils Grandelius in the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament, competing toe-to-toe with one of Scandinavia's strongest players.
Playing Style: Fearless and Tactical
Currently boasting an Elo rating of 2646, Erdogmus holds the highest rating ever achieved at his age, and his trajectory is already being compared to Magnus Carlsen's rise at 14.
What makes Erdogmus special isn't just his rating, it's his fearless, attacking style. He doesn't play to draw or survive; he plays to win. His willingness to sacrifice material for dynamic compensation and his ability to find tactical resources in seemingly impossible positions make his games thrilling to watch.
GM Evgeny Romanov, who coached Erdogmus in 2023, told Chess.com: "He is the most talented player I've ever seen, and I'm happy that he is going to use my basics in the game of chess".
Support System: Turkiye's Chess Infrastructure
President of the Turkish Chess Federation, Gülkız Tulay said: "With the projects we carry out, we try to introduce our children to chess at the age of 4-5. Our chess classes, our chess infrastructure that extends to every district and even village of Turkiye, and our families' interest in chess ensure that our children are successful at a young age".
Erdogmus is backed by several of Turkiye's top players, such as GM Mert Erdogdu and GM Baris Esen. Under the guidance of Azerbaijan's legendary GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Erdogmus continues to sharpen his tactical brilliance and positional understanding.
The Hero's Welcome
Erdogmus has gained considerable attention for his performances and records in Turkiye, particularly at home in Bursa. Upon returning to school after the Chess Olympiad, he was greeted by hundreds of schoolmate.
In a country where football dominates sports headlines, Erdogmus is proving that chess can capture the national imagination, and inspire a new generation.
What's Next? World Championship Ambitions
With his performances in the Grand Swiss, the young prodigy is now seen as a dark horse for the Candidates Tournament, the gateway to challenging for the World Championship.
At 14, with a 2646 rating and a trophy case full of broken records, Erdogmus isn't just Turkiye's future, he's chess's future.
Comparisons to the Greats
Let's put Erdogmus's achievements in context:
- Magnus Carlsen became World #1 at age 19
- Garry Kasparov became World Champion at age 22
- Bobby Fischer became the youngest GM at 15 (record at the time)
- Judit Polgar entered the Top 100 at age 12 (still the youngest)
Erdogmus is tracking ahead of most of these legends at comparable ages. His 2646 rating at 14 puts him on a trajectory that only a handful of players in history have matched.
Why Erdogmus Matters Beyond the Numbers
In a chess world often dominated by traditional powerhouses, Russia, India, China, the USA, Erdogmus represents something different: proof that elite chess talent can emerge anywhere with the right support.
Turkiye isn't known as a chess superpower. But through systematic youth development, passionate coaches, and a player with extraordinary talent and work ethic, they've produced a genuine world-class prodigy.
His journey from a kindergarten classroom in Bursa to the world's Top 100 shows what's possible when talent meets opportunity.
Follow Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
As Erdogmus continues his climb toward the World Championship, one thing is clear: we're watching history in the making.
Current Status (November 2025):
- Rating: 2646 (Classical)
- World Rank: ~#87-100
- Age: 14 years old
Stay tuned to ChessTV.com for continued coverage of Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus's journey.
More to explore:
Mentioned Players in the Article
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
GM|
TUR
Born: 2011
Standard
2658
Rapid
2446
Blitz
2497
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