In Azerbaijan, 14-year-old International Master (IM) Ediz Gürel became the youngest athlete in the "2023 FIDE World Cup," organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The young chess prodigy Ediz made his mark in Turkish chess history as the youngest player from Türkiye to participate in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, where 206 chess players from all around the world competed. He achieved his first victory in the tournament by defeating his opponent, Grandmaster (GM) Velimir Ivic, in the first round with just 28 moves.
Ediz Gürel's performance caught the attention of chess authorities, and he expressed his excitement about being at the World Cup for the first time. He said, "I am a bit excited because it's my first time here. I played in the 2023 European Individual Chess Championship and ranked 14th. By being in the top 23 at the 2023 European Championship, I earned the right to participate in the 2023 World Cup. I was in a training camp for the World Cup.
I started playing chess at the age of eight on my teacher's recommendation, and I fell in love with it quickly. I was very ambitious. I really wanted to play in this cup, and I worked hard for it. Since the age of eight, I have always worked hard because I love chess so much. I played in many tournaments, and I had both losses and wins, but they were all very enjoyable. When I play chess, I only think about the game, and it makes me happy."
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO, Emil Sutovsky, praised the young athlete with a tweet, saying, "Türkiye's young star made an impressive start." Gülkız Tulay, the President of the Turkish Chess Federation (TSF), also noted that they continued to achieve successful results in chess both in Europe and worldwide. She mentioned, "In the 2023 European Youth Team Chess Championship held in Romania from July 23rd to 31st, our 12-year-old general team became the runner-up in Europe. We also had a good start at the 2023 FIDE World Cup in Baku. We are happy with the news of victories."
