Chess player Isik Can becomes Türkiye's 17th grandmaster

ANKARA

Turkish chess player Isik Can has become the country's 17th grandmaster after competing in the 2024 US Masters Chess Tournament, which concluded on Sunday.

Can, 19, won the international master title at the age of nearly 13 in 2018.

“With his successful performance in the 2024 US Masters Chess Tournament, held in the US from November 27 to December 1, our young star Isik Can, who received 6.5 points in 9 rounds, completed the final grandmaster (GM) class and earned the title of GM,” the Turkish Chess Federation said in a statement on Monday.

The Elo rating system determines the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess and esports. A 2600 rating usually places a player in the top 100 globally, though this can vary depending on the current pool of active players.

A player with a rating of 2500 or higher is considered a grandmaster, and those with a rating of 2700 or higher are often referred to as "super grandmasters."