11-year-old sets record as youngest woman chess grandmaster

Bodhana Sivanandan. Photo: Micha Walusza/Walusza Fotografia/Fide

British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, has become the youngest player in history to earn the Woman Grandmaster title, BBC reports on Monday.

Sivanandan, who is from Harrow in north-west London, secured her third and final Woman Grandmaster norm while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the International Chess Federation confirmed.

The 11-year-old played all 11 rounds on England’s top board, a position assigned to the team’s leading player, and finished the tournament with eight points.

She had already surpassed the 2,300 rating requirement for the Woman Grandmaster title before securing her final norm.

Speaking to FIDE, Sivanandan said she was pleased with the achievement but wanted to continue breaking records.

“I’m happy to do it, but I want to keep going and keep making history as well, instead of just stopping here,” she said.
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Sivanandan’s achievement surpassed the previous record held jointly by Kateryna Lagno and Chinese chess player Hou Yifan, who both earned the Woman Grandmaster title at the age of 12.

The Woman Grandmaster title is the highest chess title reserved exclusively for female players and is held for life.

Sivanandan also earned her second International Master norm at the Olympiad, moving closer to the higher title, which is open to players of both sexes.

Players normally require three qualifying norms and a rating of at least 2,400 to earn the International Master title.

According to the BBC, the schoolgirl’s rise in chess began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she taught herself to play.

She entered her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in July 2021 and a year later, at seven, won all 24 of her games at the European Schools Championship.

In 2023, she became the youngest person to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in a competitive game when she drew with one at the European Rapid and Blitz Championship in Croatia.

A year later, aged nine, she was selected to represent England at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, becoming the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport, according to the English Chess Federation.

Last year, aged 10, Sivanandan became the youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster when she beat Peter Wells at the British Chess Championships.

In July 2026, she earned her first International Master norm at the Dole Open in France, becoming the youngest girl to achieve the feat at 11 years and four months.

She also defeated grandmaster Marc’Andria Maurizzi at the tournament, becoming the youngest girl known to have beaten a player rated above 2,600 in a classical game.

Sivanandan said she continued to enjoy chess because of the opportunities it provided to travel and its connection with her education.

“I like travelling and also because I do full-time school as well, it links to loads of school subjects, so it’s really useful there as well,” she said.

Her father, Siva, previously told the BBC that neither he nor his wife, both engineering graduates, had a strong background in chess.

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