Indian-British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan makes history at 11

Dubai: Indian-origin British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest player ever to meet the requirements for the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title at age 11.

The London schoolgirl secured her third and final WGM norm while representing England at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. FIDE confirmed the achievement during the tournament, which concluded on September 27.

Sivanandan played all 11 rounds on the top board for England and finished with eight points. Her performance also earned her a second International Master (IM) norm, moving her closer to the open IM title.

The achievement saw Sivanandan break the previous record for the youngest player to meet the requirements for the WGM title. The earlier record was held by Russian-born Kateryna Lagno and former world champion Hou Yifan of China, who both achieved the WGM title at 12. Hou Yifan later became the youngest woman to earn the full Grandmaster title, at 14.

Sivanandan, whose family has roots in India, was born and raised in London. Her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, moved from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, to Britain in 2007, according to Indian media reports.

She first discovered chess during the Covid-19 lockdown and has since rapidly risen through the ranks. In August, she became Britain’s youngest-ever women’s chess champion at the 2026 British Chess Championships.

Her latest achievement adds another milestone to a remarkable year. Sivanandan also became the youngest girl ever to score an IM norm earlier in 2026, surpassing a record previously held by Judit Polgar.

At the Samarkand Olympiad, Sivanandan’s eight-point performance included wins over several titled players and a victory over former Women’s Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna in the final round. Official tournament records list her as representing England.