14-Year-Old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus Becomes Youngest 2700 in Chess History
Turkish phenom Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has created history!! At the age of 14 years, 10 months, and 13 days, he became the youngest chess player of all time to cross 2700 in live ratings. From 12th to 17th April, Yagiz played a match called the "Clash of Generations" against Former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Yagiz scored a 5-1 win over Topalov to increase his rating by 22.4 points and take it to 2709.4. The youngster didn't stop after that and played 2 games for his team, SC Viernheim, in the German Bundesliga, and drew both of the games. After these results, Yagiz will have a published FIDE rating of 2708 on 1st May. The "Clash of Generations" match was organised by The Monegasque Chess Federation, in partnership with the Monte-Carlo Chess Club and with the support of Evren Ucok. Photo: Lennart Ootes
"The best 14-year-old the world has ever seen."
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus proved the above statement to be completely correct! During the World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2025 in Doha, Yagiz showcased his tremendous skills. After 11 rounds in the Rapid section, he was in joint second place with Vladislav Artemiev on 8.5/11 points, despite losing his first game. In the 12th round, the youngster got paired up against Magnus Carlsen. The game was heading towards a draw, but Magnus did Magnus things and won. However, the most important thing that happened in the press conference was Magnus acknowledging the Turkish prodigy, as he said
"He is an incredible player, and the best 14-year-old the world has ever seen."
The Clash of Generations 3: Match with Topalov
Yagiz played a match against Former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov in Monaco, and called the Clash of Generations, sponsored by Turkish Billionaire Evren Ucok. This is the 3rd edition of this Clash of Generations match. In the 1st one, Yagiz played against GM Peter Svidler and won 4-2. In the 2nd one, he played against World Blitz Champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and won that by 3.5-2.5!! This is the 3rd match, and Yagiz won this time with a massive lead of 5-1. Check out what happened in the match!
Game: 1
The Match started with a long-fought battle between the two players that eventually ended in a draw. Topalov had some chances in the middlegame, but Yagiz showed resistance and started the match with a nice draw.
Game: 2
This game was defined by Erdogmus’s incredible play under severe time pressure; despite playing much of the middlegame and endgame with only seconds remaining on his clock, he maintained engine-like precision. The critical turning point occurred when Topalov committed a decisive blunder by moving his king to the wrong square, allowing Erdogmus to execute a brilliant tactical sequence involving a rook sacrifice.
Yagiz played 36.Bf3+ in this position, and Topalov could have moved his king to b6, but he played 36.Kc5, and that turned out to be a game-losing blunder
Game: 3
Despite Topalov playing logically and avoiding obvious mistakes for much of the game, he finds himself strategically outplayed. Yagiz executes a series of precise maneuvers, including a strong rook lift that eventually helped him win the game.
Black to play and win
Game: 4
The 4th Game was a long draw just like the first game, this time Yagiz had some chances in the endgame, but both players shared peace, and now, after 4 games, the score was 3-1.
Game: 5 (The Historical Battle)
The game held massive significance for Yagiz; a victory would not only extend his lead and make him win the series but also make him the youngest player in chess history to cross the 2700 Elo rating barrier on the live ratings.
The game swings wildly during the time scramble. Topalov missed a critical tactical sequence that allows Erdogmus to equalize the bad position. The battle becomes a "tragedy of one tempo," and Topalov gave a wrong check, resulting in Yagiz winning the game with a beautiful checkmating combination.
Topalov played 50.Qh6+, but the problem is the coordination of his pieces; the rook on a6 is hanging, the Knight on e2 is pinned, and the king on f1 is just way too vulnerable. Yagiz played 50.Bg7 defended the check, Topalov responded with 51.Qxe6, but it was just way too slow, and Yagiz found a nice mating pattern to finish the game.
Game: 6
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus just keeps going; he finished his "Clash of Generations" match against Veselin Topalov with yet another win, scoring a 5-1 win over the former FIDE World Champion. With this win, Yagiz reaches 2709.4 in live ratings. The game turned decisively in Erdogmus's favor when his rooks penetrated Topalov’s territory. He successfully won a pawn and then used a tactical sequence involving a knight check to win a second one. Facing a lost endgame with no counterplay, Topalov resigned with a smile.
Photo Gallery from Monte-Carlo
What's Next and Records Broken
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus will be playing at The Tepe Sigeman Round Robin, where he will also face Magnus Carlsen in one of the rounds. Yagiz will get his published rating over 2700 at the age of 14 years, 10 months, and 28 days. Just to put it into perspective, he breaks Wei Yi's long-standing record by almost a year! Alireza Firouzja, D Gukesh, and Magnus Carlsen- he has crossed 2700 faster than all of them. To all the chess fans across the world, keep a close eye on Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. He is the next big thing, if we may even say that, as he's already a Super Grandmaster!
The Support
Even the player Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus came close to quitting chess because of a lack of support. That is where Evren Ucok entered the picture. His support changed everything. From zero grandmaster norms to earning the Grandmaster title, Yagiz’s journey could have ended very differently without him. In one of his earlier talks, Evren once spoke about how building something meaningful is never about a single factor. Markets, products, and ideas matter, but in the end, it is people, their clarity, flexibility, and long-term thinking, that make the real difference.
Shakhriyar recognized Yagiz’s potential, and he began dedicating more time to him. Eventually, with Yagiz’s continued success, things reached such a level that Shakhriyar put his own career into the background and started working with him full-time.
An Initiative by Evren Ucok
Evren is the driving force behind a project that supports players who are helping young chess players not only with coaching but also with specialized nutrition, psychological guidance, and overall well-being. His journey in this space began with supporting Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, a highly talented Turkish player who was on the verge of quitting chess. With Evren’s support, Yagiz went from having zero grandmaster norms to earning the GM title in a remarkably short span of time. Evren later extended his support to several other young players across the world.
We wish Yagiz a great future ahead and hope to see him getting that World Championship title soon!
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