Ediz Gurel

Turkey’s No. 2

“If in 10 years I will be around 2700-2730, like Jorden van Foreest who is 10 years older than me, I probably won’t be upset. I would take it quite normally.

But of course, I want to do more. I want to surpass 2750 and reach the Top-10. My goals are generally big, but I don’t want to create too many expectations and put too much pressure on myself. I’m trying to achieve my goals step by step.

There’s one player for me who inspires me a lot, and that’s Magnus Carlsen. There aren’t many reasons why. He’s the best player in the world and maybe even the best player of all time. I play a lot of matches against him online, and that makes me very happy because I’m constantly gaining experience. I want to reach his level too!”