“Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus Officially Confirmed as World’s Youngest Grandmaster”

At just 13 years old, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus from Turkey has officially become the world’s youngest grandmaster in chess. After achieving his final norm in Germany almost five months ago, Erdogmus has now had his title confirmed by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), making him the youngest player to hold the prestigious title.

Erdogmus, who hails from Bursa in northwest Turkey, has been making waves in the chess world with his remarkable rise over the past year. He recently surpassed GM Judit Polgar’s historic rating record from 1989 and is currently competing in the 30th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival. Despite a slight setback in rounds four and five, Erdogmus is on track to become the youngest player ever to achieve a published 2600 rating.

In addition to Erdogmus, nine other players had their grandmaster titles approved, including Ivan Zemlyanskii from Russia and Andy Woodward from the U.S. Tong Xiao from China, who has impressed with his blitz skills on Chess.com, also received his GM title, allowing him to compete in Titled Tuesday events.

With six grandmasters in the world under the age of 16, the future of chess looks bright with these young prodigies making their mark on the international stage. The FIDE Council will continue to meet during the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where more notable players are expected to have their titles approved, including Iranian 14-year-old Sina Movahed and the ‘Messi of Chess’ 10-year-old Faustino Oro.

Overall, Erdogmus’s achievement as the world’s youngest grandmaster is a testament to his talent and dedication to the game, and he is sure to inspire a new generation of young chess players to reach for their own grandmaster titles.