Bodhana Sivanandan started playing chess when she came across a board during the COVID pandemic

NEED TO KNOW

• Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, earned the Woman Grandmaster title at the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan last week
• The British girl is the youngest-ever to achieve the prestigious title, which was previously held by players aged 12
• Bodhana said she “didn’t realize” she was the youngest title holder and said she balances playing chess with going to school full time

An 11-year-old girl has become the youngest-ever chess player to earn the title of Woman Grandmaster.

Bodhana Sivanandan, from London, represented England in the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which was held between Sept. 15 and Sept. 27, where she gained the prestigious title, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE). 

She secured her third and final “norm” to achieve the rank, after facing stiff competition from across the world. Bodhana earned eight points in her 11 games, according to the British newspaper The Times.

Bodhana, who juggles playing chess with full-time schooling, said she knew she achieved the norm on Saturday, Sept. 26, but didn’t realize she was the youngest. 

“[But] now that you’ve told me, I’m happy,” she said in an interview with Lichess.  

A woman grandmaster is the highest female-only title in the chess world and is held for life, according to the BBC.

Bodhana played on board one — the top board in the chess competition usually reserved for the strongest player on a team — during the Olympiad. When asked by a FIDE reporter if she felt any pressure, she simply replied, “Not really, I just tried to enjoy it, especially because this is my second Olympiad.”

“It kinda felt very similar to the last one except I was playing on a different board,” she added.

When asked what she loves the most about chess, Bodhana said, “everything, but I like traveling, and because I do full-time school, it links to loads of school subjects, so it’s really useful there as well.”

The chess prodigy explained that she has to catch up with any schoolwork she missed while away for competitions. 

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Bodhana also told FIDE she wanted to “keep going” and “keep making history.”

British politician Rachel Reeves congratulated the student on her success on X, writing, “Huge congratulations, Bodhana — a chess superstar and just 11 years old. So pleased to see you continue to progress.”

Kateryna Lagno, who has represented Ukraine and Russia, previously held the record for the youngest-ever woman grandmaster, achieving the rank at 12 years old, per the BBC. 

Hou Yifan, from China, also gained the title at 12 and went on to become the youngest woman to earn the higher-ranked open grandmaster title at 14. 

Bodhana began playing the game during the pandemic when one of her father’s friends left a bag of his belongings, including a chess board, at their house before moving to India, the BBC reported.

“I was interested in the pieces, so I started playing,” she told the outlet, adding that playing chess makes her feel “good” and helps her with “lots of other things like maths, how to calculate.”

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