Press & Media Kit
Kerim Demirkol
KimDem · The KIMDEM Moves · Six Moves. One Body of Work.
16-year-old scholar-athlete and published author — FIDE Arena International Chess Master, Oceanman champion, certified fitness professional (EQF Level 4), KimDem musician, and inaugural Borlaug Scholar.
Six disciplines. One body of work. Calculate. Commit. Continue.
Media snapshot
At a glance
The KIMDEM Moves
Six Moves. One Body of Work.
Books & Authorship
A published author, with the memoir at the centre of what comes next
The Human Move
Kerim’s published book on chess, human judgment, and decision-making in the age of chess AI — what it means to commit to a move that cannot be taken back. Proof that Kerim is already a published author.
“A teenage chess master’s field guide to making decisions when the engine knows the answer but the player still has to move.”
The Grandmaster I Never Became
A memoir written from inside the lived experience of chasing the Grandmaster dream from age 12 to 16 — seven countries, 675 rated games, fifteen coaches. Not a failure story; a continuation story, and the narrative through-line behind chess, open water, fitness, scholarship, and KimDem music.
“What happens to ambition when the childhood goal changes shape — and the work continues anyway. Calculate. Commit. Continue.”
Approved bios
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Kerim Demirkol / KimDem is a 16-year-old published author, FIDE Arena International Chess Master, Oceanman champion, musician, fitness professional, and inaugural Borlaug Scholar.
Kerim Demirkol / KimDem is a 16-year-old published author and scholar-athlete based in Qatar. A FIDE Arena International Chess Master, Oceanman champion, certified fitness professional, musician, and inaugural Borlaug Scholar, he builds one connected body of work across chess, water, endurance, fitness, music, and youth scholarship.
Kerim Demirkol / KimDem is a 16-year-old published author and scholar-athlete based in Qatar. His book The Human Move is available now, and his forthcoming memoir, The Grandmaster I Never Became, anchors his next chapter. A FIDE Arena International Chess Master and Oceanman open-water champion, he is also a certified fitness professional (EQF Level 4), the musician KimDem, and an inaugural Borlaug Scholar working on food systems and youth food literacy. His work spans six disciplines he calls the KIMDEM Moves — chess, pool, open water, endurance, fitness, and scholarship — held together by one idea: Calculate. Commit. Continue.
Full bio
250–350 words
Kerim Demirkol — who releases music as KimDem — is a 16-year-old published author and scholar-athlete based in Qatar, building one connected body of work across six disciplines he calls the KIMDEM Moves.
His authorship sits at the centre of that work. The Human Move, available now, establishes him as a published author: a book on chess, human judgment, and decision-making in the age of chess AI. His forthcoming memoir, The Grandmaster I Never Became (pre-order now; releasing 1 August 2026), is the larger narrative anchor — written from inside the lived experience of chasing the Grandmaster dream from age 12 to 16. It reframes ambition, pressure, failure, and continuation, and explains the emotional and strategic through-line behind everything else he does.
The disciplines connect by design. Chess taught decision-making under pressure. The pool turned that into rhythm and measurement, freestyle and butterfly against the clock. Open water became navigation under uncertainty — where he is an Oceanman champion. Endurance is persistence under fatigue; fitness, as an EQF Level 4 certified trainer, is responsibility to others. As an inaugural Borlaug Scholar he turns lived experience into evidence, writing on food systems, health, and youth food literacy. And as KimDem, music is the soundtrack layer of the whole project — songs written from inside competition.
Across seven countries, 675 rated games, and fifteen coaches, the same framework holds: Calculate. Commit. Continue. Kerim is not a teenager who happens to do many things. He is a young scholar-athlete and author assembling one deliberate body of work — and the memoir forming at its centre is the story of why.
Verified public record
Claims, evidence, and notes — all sourced from kerimdemirkol.com
| Domain | Claim | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorship | Published author of The Human Move | Amazon · book page | Available now |
| Authorship | Forthcoming memoir, The Grandmaster I Never Became | Amazon pre-order · book page | Pre-order now; releases 1 Aug 2026 |
| Chess | FIDE Arena International Chess Master | chess page | 7 countries · 675 rated games · 15 coaches |
| Open Water | Oceanman Kazakhstan 10 km Champion (Sep 2025) | open water page | Verified on site |
| Open Water | Oceanman Cyprus Junior Champion (Oct 2025) · PB 2:29:41 | open water page | PB shown on site |
| Open Water | Oceanman World Championship, Dubai — Top 8 Junior Male (Dec 2025) | open water page | Finalist (Top 8) |
| Pool | Boys 15–16 LCM personal bests (50 Free 29.96, 200 Free 2:15.06, 50 Fly 30.58) | pool page | SwimCloud #2959635 |
| Fitness | EQF Level 4 Personal Trainer · EREPS/EuropeActive · 4 SIFA certifications · Paralympic coaching assistant, Qatar NPC | fitness page | Qatar MoS Licence SALA-000341 |
| Scholarship | Inaugural Borlaug Scholar | Borlaug page | World Food Prize Foundation · Wageningen Youth Institute |
| Music | KimDem — original albums and singles | music hub | Spotify · Apple Music · Bandcamp · YouTube |
| Music | Win, Lose or Blunder — 15-track chess album | album page | Live |
| Writing | The Field Notes — food-systems essays | essays hub | Active series |
Selected achievements
A connected record across six moves
Story angles
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Photography & media assets
Approved media assets for editorial, school, event, and interview use — please credit kerimdemirkol.com unless otherwise agreed
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Need a hi-res pack or a specific image? Email kerim.demirkol@gmail.com.
Selected work
Books first
Contact & booking
For press, interviews, school features, podcast invitations, event collaborations, and booking enquiries, contact kerim.demirkol@gmail.com. Also online at kerimdemirkol.com.
Substack · X · KimDem on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and YouTube.