American GM Hikaru Nakamura discussed Turkish billionaire Evren Ucok’s contribution to the development of chess. Nakamura explains that Evren supports Turkish GMs Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Ediz Gurel, and notes the scale of the business founded by Ucok.

Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura

American GM

“People are probably wondering: how are all these matches organized? What’s going on?

When it comes to Turkey, there’s a very prominent investor named Evren Ucok. He’s the founder of the major Turkish e-commerce platform Trendyol, which has basically been the Amazon of Turkey since 2010.

The company is 70% owned by Alibaba, which I think is known to almost everyone in the world, which shows how serious of a company it is.

This billionaire investor has been funding matches and various training sessions for both Erdogmus and another Turkish player, Ediz Gurel. I think he’s also sponsored by some other individuals in other countries. Overall, he’s someone who’s become a very, very big supporter.

Thanks to Ucok’s support, Erdogmus was given the opportunity to train with the famous Azerbaijani grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who once peaked at No. 2 in the world rankings. Therefore, Erdogmus now has everything he needs to succeed: strong support, an excellent coach, and opportunities such as participating in very big matches against really strong opponents.”

Turkish billionaire investor Evren Ucok has launched a multi-year project supporting young chess players in March 2026. The project includes 14-year-old Turkish GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and 6 other prodigies from Turkey, France, the United States, and England. Trendyol is a leading Turkish e-commerce platform, co-founded by Evren Ucok in 2010, and primarily owned by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group as of 2026.

Credit: European Chess Union