Turkish Chess Prodigy, 15, Aiming for Impossible 2900 Rating

At 15 years old, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus is already running out of records to break in the chess world.

The Turkish prodigy just became the youngest player in history to cross a live rating of 2700, stealing the record from China's Wei Yi. Before that, he was the youngest to reach 2600 at just 13 years, 2 months, and 15 days.

He's held the highest rating ever recorded for someone his age at 11, 12, 13, and 14. He's the youngest player to crack the world's top 100, then top 50, then top 20.

Currently ranked 26th in the world with a 2716 rating, Erdogmus has caught the attention of Magnus Carlsen himself. "He's an incredible player," Carlsen said. "The best 14-year-old that the world has ever seen."

But his coach, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, wants something even bigger. The Azerbaijani grandmaster, once ranked World No. 2 with a rating of 2820, put his own career on hold to train Erdogmus toward an impossible target: 2900.

No one has ever reached that rating. To get there, Erdogmus would need to consistently beat a deep pool of 2800-rated opponents, something even Carlsen couldn't do.

"2900 is very tough," Erdogmus admits. "Magnus is the greatest in history, and he couldn't reach 2900. I can do that, but it's going to be very tough."

He's not feeling the pressure yet. Right now, he's focused on reaching 2750 first, taking smaller steps toward the bigger dream.

The Ripple Effect

Erdogmus isn't just chasing personal glory. Alongside 17-year-old Ediz Gürel, he's trying to make chess as popular in Turkey as it is in India.

"We are trying to change that," he says. "I hope Turkey becomes one of the best countries in chess."

Turkey has produced good players before, but Erdogmus is different. He calls himself both strategic and tactical, with strong calculation skills and a love for bold sacrifices that make him more of a positional player.

It all started in kindergarten when he first saw the pieces and liked the game. "I was beating everyone, and that motivated me," he recalls. "Chess makes me very happy."

Now he plays for PBG Alaskan Knights in the Global Chess League alongside legend Viswanathan Anand. He's still deciding which of Anand's old games to study, but he knows what he wants to ask: how did you train when you were preparing for the World Championship?

The records keep coming faster than he can outgrow them, and the impossible rating is waiting.