Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster

Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old from north-west London, has become the youngest player in history to earn the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. She secured her third and final WGM norm, a certified title-level performance, while competing for England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) confirmed the achievement.

Sivanandan, who aspires to "keep making history," also earned a second International Master (IM) norm at the tournament. The IM title ranks higher than the WGM title and is open to players of all genders. Players typically need three qualifying norms and a rating of at least 2400 to achieve the IM title, and Sivanandan now holds two IM norms.

The WGM title is the highest women-only title a female player can attain and is held for life. Kateryna Lagno, who previously held the age record for the WGM title, achieved it at age 12. Hou Yifan also achieved the title at 12 and later became the youngest woman to earn the open Grandmaster (GM) title at age 14.

Sivanandan's chess journey began during the coronavirus lockdown, and she entered her first tournament in July 2021. By age seven, she had won all 24 of her games at the European Schools Championship. In 2023, she became the youngest person to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in a competitive game at the European Rapid and Blitz championship in Croatia. The following year, at nine, she was selected to represent England at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, making her the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport, according to the English Chess Federation.

Last year, at age 10, Sivanandan defeated Peter Wells at the British Chess Championships, becoming the youngest female player to beat a grandmaster. In July of the current year, she earned her first IM norm at the Dole Open in France, becoming the youngest girl to achieve this feat at 11 years and four months old. She also defeated Grandmaster Marc'Andria Maurizzi at the same event, marking her as the youngest girl known to have defeated a player rated above 2600 in a classical game.

Sivanandan's father, Siva, noted that neither he nor his wife, both engineering graduates, have a significant aptitude for chess, expressing surprise at their daughter's talent.