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.
After seven rounds, both players stand on four points as the competition continues until September 15.
The top two finishers in Samarkand will qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which will determine the challenger for the world championship title.
