The Chess Talents Project is a support programme through which businessman and chess enthusiast Evren Ucok backs young players with the potential to reach the world elite. The project began in October 2023 with Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş and now includes players from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Germany, England and France.
Coordinated by Selim Gürcan, the programme gives each player the support they need: coaching and training camps, chess mentoring, tournament expenses, access to supercomputers, and fitness and nutrition guidance. Success comes not only from work at the board but also from health, psychology and family support, so every player is looked after as a whole person. You can read the story of the project in ChessBase's article.
Currently Supported Players
Ranked from the highest Elo rating to the lowest.
2719EloGMYağız Kaan Erdoğmuş
- Age
- 15
- Born
- 3 June 2011
- City
- Bursa, Türkiye
2692EloGMAydın Süleymanlı
- Age
- 21
- Born
- 22 March 2005
- City
- Baku, Azerbaijan
2662EloGMMahammad Muradli
- Age
- 23
- Born
- 1 August 2003
- City
- Baku, Azerbaijan
2564EloGMIşık Can
- Age
- 21
- Born
- 20 April 2005
- City
- Columbia, USA
2536EloIMKhagan Ahmad
- Age
- 15
- Born
- 2011
- City
- Baku, Azerbaijan
2523EloIMAtilla Kuru
- Age
- 15
- Born
- 19 April 2011
- City
- Istanbul, Türkiye
2523EloIMChristian Glöckler
- Age
- 15
- Born
- 3 November 2011
- City
- Frankfurt, Germany
2474EloIMWGMAlice Lee
- Age
- 17
- Born
- 13 October 2009
- City
- Minneapolis, USA
2463EloFMBaver Yılmaz
- Age
- 14
- Born
- 13 October 2012
- City
- Ankara, Türkiye
2462EloWFMAnastasiia Hnatyshyn
- Age
- 16
- Born
- 12 June 2010
- City
- Lviv, Ukraine
2460EloIMWGMAlua Nurman
- Age
- 19
- Born
- 25 April 2007
- City
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
2414EloFMWIMBodhana Sivanandan
- Age
- 11
- Born
- 7 March 2015
- City
- London, England
2405EloIMWGMSavitha Shri Baskar
- Age
- 19
- Born
- 25 January 2007
- City
- Chennai, India
2349EloWCMDeekshitha Modipalli
- Age
- 14
- Born
- 28 January 2012
- City
- Hyderabad, India
2217EloWIMGülenay Aydın
- Age
- 20
- Born
- 1 March 2006
- City
- Istanbul, Türkiye
1925EloCMLuca Protopopescu
- Age
- 10
- Born
- 27 March 2016
- City
- Marseille, France
Previously Supported Players
These players were supported by the project for a period of time.
2649EloGMEdiz Gürel
SupportApril 2024 – July 2025
- Age
- 17
- Born
- 5 December 2008
- City
- Bursa, Türkiye
2515EloGMBrewington Hardaway
SupportMarch 2025 – July 2026
- Age
- 17
- Born
- 22 April 2009
- City
- New York, USA
2435EloIMWGMNurgül Salimova
SupportApril 2025 – February 2026
- Age
- 23
- Born
- 2 May 2003
- City
- Sofia, Bulgaria
2384EloWGMGövhar Beydullayeva
SupportApril 2025 – April 2026
- Age
- 23
- Born
- 23 April 2003
- City
- Baku, Azerbaijan
2358EloFMMarc Llari
SupportAugust 2025 – September 2026
- Age
- 12
- Born
- 8 January 2014
- City
- Pau, France
1950EloAttila Orman
SupportJanuary 2024 – October 2025
- Age
- 11
- Born
- 15 June 2015
- City
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan
Note: The Şahin brothers, CM Sarp Şahin (2215) and Bora Şahin (1778), were also supported by the project (June – August 2024). FM Baver Yılmaz was previously supported from January to December 2024 and rejoined the project on 21 October 2026.
