Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old from England, has been crowned the youngest-ever Women's Chess Champion in Britain. Her victory at the British Championships, held at the University of Warwick, surpassed a record set in 1939.
Sivanandan defeated a 39-year-old grandmaster en route to the title. In a rapid-chess playoff, she overcame Ireland's Trisha Kanyamarala, a 14-year-old Woman Grandmaster. Grandmaster Danny Gormally, commentating on the event, described Sivanandan as a "generational talent."
The new champion's victory breaks the previous record held by Elaine Pritchard, who won the championship at 13 years old in 1939. Sivanandan only lost one match in the entire tournament, and that was to 17-year-old Shreyas Royal, who went on to win the overall British Championship. Royal became Britain's youngest grandmaster in 2024.
Sivanandan began playing chess just six years ago, discovering a chessboard in a bag of discarded items during the pandemic. Her father taught her the basics, and she honed her skills through online tutorials, quickly surpassing his abilities.
Her tournament success began in 2021, with a significant win at the European Schools Championship in 2022, where she won all 24 of her matches and secured three gold medals. She has since competed against players with considerably more experience, notably becoming the youngest person to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in a competitive game at European Rapid and Blitz chess tournaments in Croatia.
Despite her recent achievements, Sivanandan remains focused on future goals. "I want to become a grandmaster as soon as possible," she stated, expressing her ambition to continue advancing in the sport.