Turkish teenager Gurel stuns world chess champion Gukesh

Ediz Gurel etches his name in history by becoming the first player from Türkiye to defeat a reigning world chess champion, toppling India’s Dommaraju Gukesh. Turkish grandmaster (GM) Ediz Gurel defeated reigning world chess champion, India’s Dommaraju Gukesh, at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament. According to a statement from the Turkish Chess Federation on Thursday, the 16-year-old secured a historic victory in the seventh round of the event, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after a tense and hard-fought battle. Born in 2008, Gurel became the first Turkish player ever to beat a sitting world champion in an official competition. Gurel is representing Türkiye at the tournament alongside Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus.