This is a summary of the Chess.com news article “Erdogmus Scores 5-1 Knockout Against Topalov, Closes In On Youngest-Ever 2700 Record” by Tarjei J. Svensen.
A 5-1 win over Topalov
Fourteen-year-old Turkish grandmaster Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş beat former world champion Veselin Topalov 5-1 in the Clash of Generations III match, played in Monaco on 12-17 April 2026, and crossed the 2700 barrier on the live rating list for the first time. Starting the match on 2687, Yağız gained 22 points to reach 2709 and moved up to world number 29. Topalov (2717) dropped below 2700 for the first time since July 1999. Yağız's performance rating in the match was 2990.
The match went like this: game one was drawn, Yağız won games two and three, game four was another draw, and he won games five and six. In game two, Topalov blundered early. In game three, Yağız dominated the queenside with heavy pieces and converted decisively. Game five was a Caro-Kann Defence in which Yağız went for the ambitious 9...h5!?, leading to tactical complications that he came out on top of.
Records and the series
Yağız had previously won Clash of Generations I against Peter Svidler (4-2) and II against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (3.5-2.5). The article points out that reaching 2700 on an official FIDE list at about 14 years and 10 months would beat Wei Yi's 2015 record by nearly a year. He is also the highest-rated 12-, 13- and 14-year-old in history, the youngest player to enter the world top 50 and to pass 2600. After 24 consecutive months as the number one prodigy, at 14 he is more than 60 rating points ahead of the next-best player in history at that age.
Coaches and support team
Yağız is currently coached by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and, for more than two years, by GM Eltaj Safarli. Mamedyarov says their goal is for Yağız to become the first 2900 player in history. In his view, people are not even aware of five percent of Yağız's chess knowledge, and he is at a level where he can play any opening. He adds that while this milestone shows Yağız's dedication, their eyes remain on the future.
Yağız says his aim is first to play good chess and then to reach 2800, which will take a lot of hard work. Selim Gürcan, manager of the talents project, notes that even the most talented players can stagnate, but this never happened with Yağız, and describes how he wakes up at 6:30 every morning to exercise and has improved his fitness a great deal. Sponsor Evren Ucok says they are happy to see their efforts bear fruit, and to see Yağız grow into a disciplined and thoughtful young man. Ucok also supports 11 other young talents from six countries. The article recalls that Magnus Carlsen called Yağız the best 14-year-old the world has ever seen after their meeting at the December 2025 World Rapid Championship.
What comes next?
Earlier this year Yağız scored 7/13 at Tata Steel Chess. His next stop is the TePe Sigeman tournament in Malmö, Sweden, on 1-7 May 2026, where he will play his first classical game against Magnus Carlsen, as well as Abdusattorov, Erigaisi, van Foreest, Grandelius, Woodward and Zhu Jiner.
The games
The moves of all six games come from the Lichess broadcast record of the match; you can step through them in the viewers below.
Game 1: Topalov – Erdogmus 1/2-1/2
Game 2: Erdogmus – Topalov 1-0
Game 3: Topalov – Erdogmus 0-1
Game 4: Erdogmus – Topalov 1/2-1/2
Game 5: Topalov – Erdogmus 0-1
Game 6: Erdogmus – Topalov 1-0
Source: Tarjei J. Svensen, Chess.com. Photos: Monte Carlo Chess Club.
