This is a summary of the Chess.com news article “12-Year-Old Erdogmus Breaks Polgar's 35-Year-Old Rating Record” by Tarjei J. Svensen (May 24, 2024).
Polgár's record falls
GM-elect Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş, 12, from Bursa, broke Judit Polgár's 35-year-old record as the highest-rated player before turning 13. At the Sharjah Masters he scored 4.5/9 (two wins, five draws, including one against 2701-rated Vladimir Fedoseev) with a 2645 performance. He had already completed the grandmaster title requirements a month earlier at the GRENKE Chess Open as the fourth-youngest ever, so he played in Sharjah without norm pressure. With an 11-point gain plus five from the Menorca Open, his expected June rating was 2569, above Polgár's 2555 from January 1989. The article adds that Polgár was six months younger when she set her mark and was ranked 56th in the world, while Erdoğmuş was not yet in the top 300. He told Chess.com he had not made a special effort to break the record and dedicated it to his country; the Turkish Chess Federation congratulated him.
The coaches around him
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov had been working with him for about half a year and sees him as a player who can reach 2800 and become a future world champion, crediting GM Mert Erdogdu and sponsor Evren Ucok for their support.
GM Evgeny Romanov, a FIDE Senior Trainer who began online lessons with him in 2022 and later visited Bursa, called him the most talented player he had ever seen. At ten, the boy needed a translator, made strategic and endgame errors, yet kept tension in every game and defended his moves stubbornly. Romanov also recalled losing a blitz session 6–2 to the ten-year-old and was struck by his board vision and speed. Erdoğmuş went from 1955 in 2021 to 2456 in 2022 and was close to 2500 by the end of 2023.
Where he stands
Erdoğmuş is now the world's top-rated player under 14, ahead of Ivan Zemlyanskii. Romanov does not expect it to take long before he passes 2700. The next event was the Dubai Open, starting on May 25.
The games
The article shows two of his wins: his favorite game from Sharjah and a victory over 2685-rated GM Alexandr Predke in Baku in 2023, when he was not yet 12.
Mittal – Erdoğmuş 0-1, Sharjah Masters 2024 (round 7)
Predke – Erdoğmuş 0-1, Baku Open 2023 (round 9)
Source: Tarjei J. Svensen, Chess.com. Photos: Sharjah Chess Club and private photo album.
