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August 15, 2025
Chess Prodigy: A 10-year-old girl from Britain has set a new milestone in chess. She’s become the youngest female ever to defeat a grandmaster.
Bodhana Sivanandan, who hails from northwest London, pulled off the remarkable win on Sunday.
In the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, she outplayed 60-year-old grandmaster Pete Wells.
Sivanandan was only 10 years, five months, and three days old when she made history. She broke the previous record held by American chess prodigy Carissa Yip.
Yip was 10 years, 11 months, and 20 days old when she defeated a grandmaster back in 2019.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officially recognized Sivanandan’s achievement.
Sivanandan has earned the title of Woman International Master. It’s just one step shy of the Woman Grandmaster title, which is reserved for the very best female players.
At the top of the chess world is the Grandmaster title, held by stars like reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
Speaking to the BBC in 2024, her father admitted that no one in their family had ever been especially good at chess.
Sivanandan first came across chess during the Covid pandemic, when she was five years old. A friend of her father’s had dropped off a bag filled with toys and books.
Tucked inside was a chessboard, and the unusual pieces caught her eye. She thought they’d make fun toys to play with.
Her dad had a different idea — he suggested she try the game. That simple moment was the start of her chess journey.
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