CEO of FIDE Emil Sutovsky shared his opinion on the progress of Faustino Oro, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, and Andy Woodward. Sutovsky praised the performance of the young prodigies and noted the difficulty of achieving the status of the best player in the world.

Emil Sutovsky

Emil Sutovsky

CEO of FIDE

“I believe all these guys are outstanding talents, but it’s a bit early to claim that they will become the ‘next Magnus’ or something similar. Making such expectations or predictions would be premature for now.

Both Erdogmus and Oro will definitely enter the Top-10. It’s highly likely because, if they’re already the best in their age group — imagine what will happen in 3 or 4 years? The generation significantly older than them will gradually start to decline, and they are already the best among their peers, so it’s natural to expect that by 2030 they will be in the Top-5. But becoming a dominant player like Magnus is an extremely difficult task.

I would also add Andy Woodward. I like the way he plays. He is very dedicated to the game. I would confidently say that Oro, Erdogmus, and Woodward will enter the Top-10 by 2030 or possibly even earlier.”

12-year-old Argentinian IM Faustino Oro (2516) holds all records as the youngest player to reach 2500 in Classical, Rapid, and Blitz. Turkish GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (2669) earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 12. American GM Andy Woodward (2608) won the Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2026 on February 1, competing in the Tata Steel for the first time.

Credit: Patricia Claros Aguilar