Turkish teenage prodigy Ediz Gurel receives a hero’s welcome at his school after surprising World Champion Gukesh

The chess world is witnessing an unprecedented paradigm shift as a new wave of increasingly younger talents emerges, simultaneously impressing and shocking the global audience. Leading this charge are players like Abhimanyu Mishra, Volodar Murzin, Pranav V, Erdogmus Yagiz Kaan, and Fautino Oro. Among them is another Turkish prodigy, 16-year-old Ediz Gurel, who is already an established name on the circuit.

The last few weeks have been especially memorable for Gurel, who defeated D. Gukesh, the current World Champion, to record one of his greatest triumphs to date. The two prodigies, who are only three years apart in age, engaged in an exciting seventh-round match in the just-completed FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand, where Gurel defeated the Indian star to take center stage.

Watch as Edizi Gurel receives a hero’s welcome from his Turkish classmates.

A hero’s welcome for Ediz Gurel after beating Gukesh 🇹🇷👏 pic.twitter.com/Yw8j6zxXUW

— Chess.com (@chesscom) September 21, 2025

In front of hundreds of his classmates, who were waving Turkish flags, he was greeted with drum beats and given a bouquet of flowers. The 16-year-old’s triumph over the World Champion added sweetness to his homecoming.

Gurel previously referred to the Grand Swiss as a “crazy tough game” after defeating Gukesh with white pieces.

DÜNYA ŞAMPİYONUNU YENEN İLK TÜRK: EDİZ GÜREL@ozlmgurel pic.twitter.com/niRMOZ59PP

— Geçer Piyon (@gecerpiy10) September 18, 2025

Gukesh held the upper hand after a blunder from Gurel on move 27 and the queens getting exchanged on move 29. But on move 40, right when he crossed the time control threshold, Gukesh made a blunder himself that tipped the scales. Two moves later, Gukesh gave away a bishop in exchange for two pawns, which proved too much of an advantage to defend against in the end game.

“I was pretty happy to see the pairings,” Gurel said when asked about his experience facing the world champion in a classical match. “It’s always great to play the world champion, whether I lose or not. Yeah, he’s not doing so well in this tournament, but I believe he can just pull things through. He’s a great player, a world champion!”