Fourteen-year-old Turkish Grandmaster Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş delivered one of the standout performances at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship on Sunday, finishing 15th in Doha as Magnus Carlsen claimed his sixth world rapid title.
Carlsen, the Norwegian great, cruised through the open section unbeaten with 10.5 points after 13 rounds, finishing a full point clear of a field packed with elite grandmasters.
Russia’s Vladislav Artemiev took silver on 9.5 points, while India’s Arjun Erigaisi secured bronze on tiebreaks, also with 9.5.
Erdoğmuş, Türkiye’s teenage prodigy, finished with an impressive 8.5 points, far exceeding expectations.
Born in 2011 and seeded 156th based on his pre-tournament rapid rating of 2446, he produced a tournament performance rating of 2728, announcing himself as a genuine force at the highest level.
The open championship, a 13-round Swiss-system event featuring more than 200 players, offered no soft landings.
Carlsen’s final-day surge included wins over Alexey Sarana, Hans Niemann and Erdoğmuş, before a closing draw against Anish Giri sealed the title.
Erdoğmuş’s tournament, however, told a different and equally compelling story.
After a steady opening day, the young grandmaster caught fire over days two and three, cutting through established names with calm precision and aggressive intent.
He defeated China’s Lu Shanglei, India’s Nihal Sarin and, most notably, Arjun Erigaisi earlier in the event.
Following his win over Sarin – a player ranked among the world’s top 40 – Erdoğmuş briefly matched Carlsen’s score in live standings, sharing the lead and dominating headlines in Türkiye.
For a fleeting moment, a 14-year-old stood shoulder to shoulder with the game’s greatest modern champion.
Their much-anticipated meeting came in round 12.
Playing White against Carlsen, Erdoğmuş held his ground through a tense middlegame before the Norwegian’s endgame mastery proved decisive.
When the loss became clear, the teenager broke down in tears at the board – a raw moment that went viral after being shared by FIDE and captured the emotional toll of competing at the sport’s summit.
Carlsen, never generous with praise, offered words that resonated far beyond Doha.
“Yağız is the best 14-year-old the world has ever seen,” Carlsen said. “We will be hearing a lot about him in the future.”
It was not the first time the world No. 1 had singled him out.
Earlier in 2025, Carlsen described Erdoğmuş as “almost unprecedented at that age,” adding that among the new generation, he had impressed him the most.
Such endorsements place Erdoğmuş in rare company – particularly given that Carlsen himself became a grandmaster at 13.
The Doha breakthrough builds on a trajectory already etched into Turkish chess history.
On April 1, 2024, Erdoğmuş earned the grandmaster title at just 12 years, 9 months and 29 days, becoming the youngest Turkish GM ever.
His rise has mirrored Türkiye’s growing investment in chess, driven by structured youth development and consistent international exposure.
Türkiye’s broader showing in Doha underlined that progress. Four Turkish players finished inside the top 50. Erdoğmuş led the way in 15th place, while 18-year-old Ediz Gürel tied for 25th with 8.5 points and Vahap Şanal placed 43rd on 8 points. In the women’s section, International Master Ekaterina Atalık finished an impressive sixth with 8 points.
Türkiye Chess Federation President Fethi Apaydın praised the collective result, calling it a clear sign of Turkish chess’ rising competitiveness on the global stage.
In the women’s rapid championship, Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina claimed her first world rapid title, defeating China’s Zhu Jiner 1.5–0.5 in a playoff after both finished tied on 8.5 points alongside India’s Koneru Humpy, who took bronze.
As the World Blitz Championship continues in Doha through Dec. 30, Erdoğmuş’s run has already left a lasting imprint.
With his classical rating nearing 2670 and rapid gains pushing him toward the elite tier, the teenager has shown he belongs.
