Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus’ coach GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov spoke about whether young chess players should engage in coaching activities. Mamedyarov expresses the opinion that at a young age, chess players should focus on developing their own skills and notes the difficulty of combining playing and coaching.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

6th-highest rated player in history

“A professional chess player, up to a certain point, should dedicate time only to himself. Until the age of 35-36, I focused exclusively on myself. During the pandemic, tournaments stopped, and I started coaching.

I don’t advise young chess players to become coaches. As much as possible, they must focus on their own chess. A player who wants to become a World Champion should not engage in coaching activities. Sometimes I see young players who coach… It’s very difficult to combine.

The chess player I work with is a very promising person with a great future. It is a great pleasure to work with Erdogmus — one of the best chess players in the world!”

Azerbaijani GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2727) was the 2013 Rapid World Champion and is the sixth-highest rated player in history with a peak of 2820. Mamedyarov has been coaching the 14-year-old Turkish GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (2669) since late 2023.