At 14, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has emerged as the youngest chess grandmaster to achieve a 2700 rating, surpassing the previous record held by China’s Wei Yi, who reached it at 15. The Turkish talent holds the highest ratings ever for players aged 12, 13, and 14, and is the youngest to enter the global top 50. This milestone appears in current live ratings and will be formalized in the International Chess Federation’s monthly update at the end of May.
Former world number one and federation champion Veselin Topalov, from Bulgaria, has been mostly inactive since placing seventh in a 2022 event in Norway, which affected his recent form. For Erdogmus, this victory marked his third major triumph, after defeating Russia’s eight-time national champion Peter Svidler 4-2 and France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 3.5-2.5. A standout win from the 2025 federation Grand Swiss event in Samarkand has earned the nickname ‘Turkish Immortal’ for its spectacular sacrificial finish.
Russia’s top grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, claimed Topalov essentially gifted rating points to Erdogmus, calling the matchup a strategic choice to help the young player join the 2700 elite. Erdogmus described attaining 2700 as a long-held aspiration, emphasizing his focus on quality play. He now aims for 2800, acknowledging the time and effort required.
His sixth encounter with Topalov stood out, where Erdogmus maintained a slight edge, captured a crucial pawn, and secured the win with accurate play. Coached for two years by Azerbaijan’s ex-world number two Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Erdogmus benefits from guidance toward becoming the first to reach 2900. The coach noted that only a fraction of the prodigy’s chess expertise is widely known, and he can handle any opening effortlessly.
Erdogmus’s upcoming event is the annual TePe Sigeman tournament in Malmö, Sweden, from May 1-7. The eight-player lineup features Magnus Carlsen, who rarely competes in classical formats lately, along with strong performers like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi, and Jorden van Foreest. Carlsen has praised Erdogmus as the greatest 14-year-old chess player in history.
Funding for the young star comes from Turkish business leader Evren Ucok, providing access to elite training and competitions. Ucok supports a select group of promising players, including England’s 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, now the country’s top-rated female.
The recent European individual championship in Katowice, Poland, produced an unprecedented outcome in its 26-year run. Roman Dehtiarov, a 17-year-old international master from Ukraine, claimed the title—the youngest winner and lowest seed at number 126 among 501 participants. All prior champions were grandmasters. Hailing from Kharkiv near the conflict zone with Russia, Dehtiarov declined a 2022 family relocation to England to stay with his father.
Under federation rules, the victory granted Dehtiarov immediate grandmaster status. He entered his final match against Spain’s leading player David Anton aware that a win would yield the title, a €20,000 prize, and a spot in the 2027 World Cup. Azerbaijani competitors secured second, third, and fourth places.
England’s representatives—grandmasters Matthew Wadsworth, Shreyas Royal, and international master Jonah Willow—each scored 6.5 out of 11, experiencing minor rating drops. International master Aaravamudhan Balaji tallied 6 points, and woman fide master Zoe Varney earned 5, both aligning with their expected levels.
England has historically excelled in the World Senior Team Championships, with the 2026 edition starting Sunday in Durres, Albania. This year, the nation fields a record 56 players across 12 teams: six in the over-65 division, where they defend their title, and six in the over-50 group. The event recalls the vibrant English chess surge of the 1970s and 1980s, marked by victories over Soviet teams and stars like Tony Miles and Nigel Short, stirring nostalgia for veteran players. England’s over-50 squad gains strength from grandmaster Danny Gormally’s participation.
