Newsletters
A 14-year-old Turkish grandmaster has rewritten the record books, becoming the youngest player in chess history to surpass the 2700 ELO rating threshold, a milestone that places him among the sport's global elite.
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus crossed the barrier during "Clash of Generations III," a tournament organized by the Monaco Chess Federation, where he faced former world champion Veselin Topalov. Erdogmus dominated the matchup, pushing his score against Topalov to 4-1, accumulating enough rating points to breach the 2700 mark.
The achievement also makes Erdogmus the highest-rated player in Turkish chess history.
Youth and Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak offered his congratulations, saying the young grandmaster "made us proud with his historic achievement" and wishing him continued success.
The previous record was held by Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi, who reached 2700 ELO at age 15. Erdogmus surpassed that benchmark a full year younger, underlining the exceptional pace of his development.
For context, several of the game's modern giants, including world number one Magnus Carlsen, top-ranked Alireza Firouzja and reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh, each crossed the 2700 threshold at 16, making Erdogmus's achievement all the more striking.
The ELO system, developed by Hungarian-American physicist Arpad Elo and adopted by FIDE, the international chess federation, serves as the sport's standard measure of playing strength. A rating of 2700 is widely regarded as the entry point to chess's super-elite, a tier occupied by only a handful of players worldwide at any given time.
The "Clash of Generations" format, as its name suggests, is designed to pit established veterans against rising talent, making Erdogmus's performance against Topalov, a former world champion and longtime top-10 player, a particularly fitting venue for the record.
The tournament's sixth and final round was still to be played at the time of the announcement.
Erdogmus's milestone represents a landmark moment not only for the player but for Türkiye's broader position in competitive chess. By surpassing all previous national rating records, he has set a new ceiling for what Turkish chess has produced.
Minister Bak extended his thanks to all those who contributed to the young grandmaster reaching "the highest level ever achieved in Turkish chess history."
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
