Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest woman grandmaster in chess at the age of 11, securing the title after a remarkable performance at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The Londoner scored eight points from 11 games against some of the leading players in the world. Her achievement was confirmed by the International Chess Federation after she earned her third and final norm, an official performance requirement for the title.
Sivanandan’s success was praised by former Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who wrote: “Huge congratulations Bodhana – a chess superstar and just 11 years old. So pleased to see you continue to progress.”
The record was previously held by Kateryna Lagno, who represented both Ukraine and Russia, after she became a woman grandmaster aged 12 in 2002. China’s Hou Yifan matched that achievement in 2007.
Hou went on to become the youngest woman to secure the full grandmaster title, at the age of 14, in 2008.
Bodhana Sivanandan’s rapid rise in chess
Sivanandan discovered chess during the pandemic after finding a board among discarded items left by a family friend at her home in Harrow, north London.
Her father, Sivandan Velayutham, who works in IT, taught her the basic rules. She soon began beating him after developing her game through YouTube tutorials.
She entered her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in July 2021. The following year, aged seven, she won all 24 of her matches at the European Schools Championship and collected three gold medals.
Since then, she has competed against players with decades more experience and became the youngest person to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in a competitive game at the European Rapid and Blitz chess tournaments in Croatia.
Earlier this summer, Sivanandan also became Britain’s youngest women’s chess champion, breaking a record set by Elaine Pritchard, who won the title aged 13 in 1939.
She defeated Ireland’s 14-year-old Trisha Kanyamarala in a tense rapid-chess play-off between the leading female players. Kanyamarala is the first Irishwoman to hold the Woman Grandmaster title.
Commentating for the English Chess Federation, grandmaster Danny Gormally said during the closing moments: “Unreal! Bodhana, or Godhana as I call her has won. She is unbelievable, a generational talent.”
Sivanandan lost only to fellow prodigy Shreyas Royal, 17, who went on to win the overall British championship. Royal finished half a point ahead of grandmasters Luke McShane and nine-time champion Michael Adams, and became Britain’s youngest-ever grandmaster in 2024.
Sivanandan must progress to international master before she can pursue the full grandmaster title. Alongside chess, she plays the violin and piano while continuing with her academic work.
