Mehmet Yilani, an 8-year-old CCL student from New Albany, Ohio, achieved a new peak US Chess rating of 2040 at the Queen City FIDE Open held on January 17–18 in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the event, he drew two U.S. National Masters and defeated a FIDE Master in classical games. With this performance, Mehmet earned the US Chess Expert title.
This milestone establishes a new CCL and Ohio record, as Mehmet reached a 2000+ rating while in second grade, surpassing Chris Shen’s long-standing third-grade record that had stood for 12 years.
According to US Chess age-based rankings, Mehmet is currently among the top U.S. players at age 8. Since beginning his chess training in April 2022, he has shown remarkable progress. His recent scholastic achievements include:
- 2025 Ohio Grade-Level State Champion
- National Champion (2nd Grade) at the 2025 US National K–12 Grade Championships
- K–6 National Blitz Co-Champion (officially third place on tiebreaks) at the same event in Spokane, Washington
Under CCL standards, Mehmet becomes the 39th CCL graduate. He will continue his training with CCL coaches as he pursues the National Master title. His primary coach is Life Master Walker Griggs.
Congratulations to Mehmet and Coach Griggs on this outstanding achievement.
The Legacy of a CCL Graduate
The skills developed in becoming a CCL graduate transfer to a successful future. We are continually amazed by the accomplishments of CCL alumni as they move into new chapters of their lives, achievements we are confident we will see in Maxwell’s future as well.
Typical CCL graduate milestones include:
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1 year in CCL – achieving a 2000 rating
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4 years in CCL – achieving a 1900 rating
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5 years in CCL – achieving an 1800 rating
To see our previous 38 graduates, please click this link
CCL Chess proudly celebrates these standards of excellence and looks forward to watching Mehmet continue this tradition of success.
