Still in a Booster Seat, Indian-Origin Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster

Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest-Ever Woman Grandmaster at 11

Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by becoming the youngest-ever Woman Grandmaster (WGM) after securing her final WGM norm while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The 11-year-old London schoolgirl completed all 11 rounds on England’s top board and finished the Olympiad with eight points. FIDE confirmed that she had secured her third and final WGM norm before the tournament ended.

Bodhana had already surpassed the 2,300 rating requirement for the WGM title, leaving the final norm as the last requirement. She has now broken the previous age record held by Kateryna Lagno, who earned the title at 12.

“I’m happy to do it, but I want to keep going and keep making history as well, instead of just stopping here,” Bodhana told FIDE.

From Board 4 to England’s Top Board

Bodhana’s role at the Olympiad marked a significant step forward from her international debut in Budapest in 2024. At just nine, she represented England on Board 4. Two years later, she was promoted to Board 1, facing the leading player from every opposing team.

Despite the increased responsibility, Bodhana said she focused on enjoying the experience rather than worrying about the pressure.

Her eight-point haul was another notable achievement against a field featuring considerably more experienced players.

The tournament also produced another milestone for the young star, as she earned her second International Master (IM) norm. She now needs one more IM norm and a rating of at least 2,400 to complete the requirements for the open IM title.

• A Year of Historic Achievements
• Bodhana’s latest record follows a remarkable run of achievements in 2026.

Just weeks before the Olympiad, she became Britain’s youngest-ever Women’s Chess Champion at the British Chess Championships in Coventry. She defeated 14-year-old Trisha Kanyamarala in a rapid playoff to claim the title.

She is also the UK Open Women’s Blitz Champion and joint British Women’s Rapid Champion.

Her rise began during the Covid-19 lockdown, when she discovered a chessboard among belongings brought home by a family friend returning from India.

“I was interested in the pieces, so I started playing,” she recalled.

Bodhana played her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in July 2021. By the age of seven, she had won all 24 of her games at the European Schools Championship.

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

The following year, she became the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport when she made her Olympiad debut at nine.

In 2025, aged 10, she became the youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster after beating Peter Wells at the British Chess Championships.

Her progress continued in 2026. At the Dole Open in France in July, she secured her first IM norm at 11 years and four months, becoming the youngest girl to achieve the feat. She also defeated 2,628-rated Grandmaster Marc’Andria Maurizzi, becoming the youngest girl known to beat a player rated above 2,600 in a classical game.

School, Chess and Bigger Goals

Despite her increasingly demanding international schedule, Bodhana continues to attend school full-time.

She sees chess and education as complementary, saying that travelling for tournaments and studying at school both contribute to her development.

Her growing collection of records has not changed her approach to the game. Rather than focusing on her age-related achievements, Bodhana remains determined to improve and enjoy chess.

In April, she told Reuters that her long-term goal was to become “one of the best chess players in the world”, while stressing that her immediate priority was continued improvement.

At just 11, Bodhana has now added the youngest-ever Woman Grandmaster title to an already extraordinary list of achievements.

For her, however, the record appears to be another milestone rather than the finish line.

“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.