A 10-year-old chess prodigy from northwest London has become the youngest person in history to earn the title of Woman International Master.
Bodhna Sivanandan from Harrow also became the youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster at the 2025 British Chess Championship, held earlier this month.
In 2024, Bodhna made history as the youngest ever representative of England in any sport when she was selected for the women’s team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.
Her father, Siva, previously told the BBC that he does not understand where his daughter’s talent comes from, as neither he nor his wife (both engineering graduates) can play chess.
The International Chess Federation announced on social media X that Bodhna defeated 60-year-old grandmaster Peter Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championship in Liverpool.
The victory, achieved at the age of 10 years, five months, and three days, broke the previous record set in 2019 by American Carissa Yip (10 years, 11 months, and 20 days).
A grandmaster is the highest title in chess, held for life. Bodhna’s new title — Woman International Master — is the second-highest title awarded exclusively to women, just below Woman Grandmaster.
Bodhna began playing chess during lockdown at the age of five. She says chess makes her happy and helps her develop skills, particularly in maths and calculations.
She first became interested in the game after one of her father’s friends, returning to India, gave her some toys and books, including a chessboard. At first, she wanted to use the pieces as toys, but her father suggested playing a game — and that’s how her chess journey began.
Her father stresses that no one in their family had ever played chess before: “I’m trying to find out if any relatives play, but no one has any chess experience or skills.”
He adds: “We are happy with everything that’s happening. The main thing is that she enjoys the game and develops.”
Bodhna says her main goal is to become a grandmaster.
Malcolm Pein, an International Master and head of a charity that has introduced a quarter of a million state school children to chess, believes the girl is paving the way for women in a game traditionally seen as male-dominated:
“She’s so modest and reserved, yet incredibly talented. She could become women’s world champion or even overall champion. And I’m sure she’s on the path to becoming a grandmaster.”