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11-Year-Old Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster
By Drooid · · How we work
Record-Breaking Title at the Chess Olympiad
Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old from Harrow in north-west London, secured the woman grandmaster (WGM) title—the highest women-only rank in chess—by completing her third qualifying norm at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Playing on England’s top board, she amassed eight points from eleven games, meeting the performance standards required for the title. FIDE confirmed that she is now the youngest player ever to qualify for the WGM title, surpassing the previous record held by Kateryna Lagno, who earned it at age 12 in 2002.
Rapid Rise Through Junior Competition
Sivanandan’s ascent began during the COVID-19 lockdowns when she taught herself chess from YouTube after finding an old board at home. She entered her first tournament in July 2021 at Harrow Chess Club and, at age seven, won all 24 of her games at the European Schools Championship. In 2023 she became the youngest player to avoid defeat against a grandmaster at the European Rapid and Blitz tournaments in Croatia, and she later won the British Women’s Championship in Coventry, becoming the youngest female champion in that event.
Performance Metrics and Title Progression
Before the Olympiad, Sivanandan had already surpassed the 2300 rating threshold required for the WGM title and held two International Master (IM) norms—steps toward the open IM title, which demands three norms and a 2400 rating. Her Olympiad performance also earned a second IM norm, bringing her total to two. The WGM title is held for life, while the IM title is open to both sexes and ranks above the WGM title.
Outlook and Recognition
Sivanandan told FIDE that she is “happy” with the achievement but intends to continue “making history,” aiming eventually for the full grandmaster title. Former chancellor Rachel Reeves praised the milestone on social media, calling Sivanandan a “chess superstar.” The prodigy’s next target is to secure the remaining IM norm and pursue the open grandmaster title, marking the next phase of her historic chess career.
