While the world still debates how far girls can go, Bodhana Sivanandan is already rewriting the rules.
In a sport long dominated by men and older players, an 11-year-old girl of Indian origin has just moved the goalposts. At an age when most children are still learning multiplication tables, Bodhana Sivanandan has claimed one of chess’s highest titles. The British-Indian prodigy is now the youngest Woman Grandmaster the game has ever seen. She sealed the record at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, playing every game on England’s top board and scoring eight points from eleven. FIDE confirmed her third and final WGM norm.
Born in London to parents from Tamil Nadu, Bodhana first touched a chessboard during the COVID lockdown. She is the youngest British women’s champion, representing England in any international sport, defeating a grandmaster, and now the youngest Woman Grandmaster. Guinness World Records has already added this latest feat to her growing list.
When asked about the achievement, her response was simple and fierce: she wants to keep making history.
