Bengaluru: At 15, Yagız Kaan Erdogmus is already discovering that being the most talked about teen in chess right now comes with its own peculiar burden.
“Ediz and I are trying to make chess more popular in Turkey. Chess in our country is not like how it’s in India. We hope to do our part.”
He points to fellow Turk and 17-year-old grandmaster Ediz Gurel becoming something of a minor celebrity in his school when he defeated Gukesh at the 2025 Grand Swiss tournament.
“He became very famous because he beat the world champion,” Erdogmus smiles.
Playing for the PBG Alaskan Knights led by Viswanathan Anand, Erdogmus found himself staring at a checkmating threat set up by Mamedyarov, who turned out for CheQ Mumbai Masters, and resigned. Classical chess may matter more to him, but for fun he turns to bullet chess. “I find bullet to be the most enjoyable format. Of course, classical is important. Gukesh became classical world champion that’s why he’s so popular. Erdogmus’ chess story began, appropriately enough, in kindergarten. He was drawn to the pieces and the game, and it did not take long for curiosity to give way to ambition.
Because you need to achieve something that’s like a really big goal, it’s also more stressful. On Sunday, at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, student went up against the master and came away with a loss and a lesson.
His coach, Azerbaijan grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, has declared the never-before-scaled 2900 as their Everest. Nor does the fact that Magnus Carlsen, the player he grew up idolising, has already told the world that he may be the best 14-year-old around. At 14, he became the youngest player to cross 2700 and says 2900 is a barrier that even Carlsen hasn’t breached.
In his case, first there are the rating goals. “I was surprised. It was an incredible thing. He played well and deserved to win against Ding (Liren). I also want to become world champion. I want to surpass Gukesh and become the youngest. The numbers do not seem to frighten him yet. But it’s going to be very tough. “When we solve positions together, he just sees everything immediately. “I’m more of a tactical player, I like going for sacrifices and I realise I’m quite positional. I’m also creative with my openings. My calculation is also very good. I prefer to discuss positions with my coach without looking at engines. I look at them later to not just know the answers but also to try to understand why the moves work.”
The teen almost casually states a desire to become world champion “as young as possible” – preferably younger than Gukesh, who at 18 became the youngest undisputed world champion. “Gukesh winning the world title had a huge impact on me,” the precocious teen from Bursa, Turkey told HT. He then pauses, nods and says: “Okay, I can do it. He calculates really fast and really well,” he said.
