British Indian schoolgirl Bodhana Sivanandan crowned youngest Woman Grandmaster
Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest player in history to earn the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The 11-year-old London schoolgirl achieved the milestone after playing all 11 rounds on England's top board and finishing the tournament with eight points on Sunday.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) confirmed her record-breaking achievement.
Bodhana had earlier made history at the age of nine when she became the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport after being selected by the English Chess Federation.
"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.
Her performance at the Olympiad also earned her a second International Master (IM) norm, taking her another step towards the IM title.
The schoolgirl, who lives with her family in Harrow in northwest London, said chess also complemented 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.
Bodhana first took up chess during the COVID-19 lockdown after a friend of her father, Siva, gave her a bag containing a chessboard before returning to India.
Largely self-taught, she has since emerged as one of the youngest players on the international circuit and continued to break records.
Last month, she became Britain's youngest-ever Women's Chess Champion at the 2026 British Chess Championships in Coventry.
She is also the UK Open Women's Blitz Champion and joint British Women's Rapid Champion in the faster formats.
The latest achievement adds another milestone to the rapid rise of the young player, who has already established herself as one of England's leading junior chess talents.
