Bodhana Sivanandan, a young girl of only 11 years, has set a new milestone in the world of chess by achieving the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM). This achievement makes her the youngest to reach such distinction.
According to information released by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the British citizen obtained the third and final norm required to receive the WGM title during her participation in the 46th Chess Olympiad, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
In conversation with the federation, the young prodigy expressed satisfaction with the accomplishment but also voiced a desire to 'continue making history.' The previous record belonged to Kateryna Lago, who represented Russia and Ukraine and achieved the title at the age of 12.
Despite the current success, Bodhana Sivanandan demonstrates greater ambitions, aiming for the International Master title. She already holds two norms, which brings her closer to this goal. The young girl's journey is not new; at the age of 8, she was crowned the best player in the European chess championship, held in Croatia.
At that time, she was praised as 'one of the greatest talents of recent times' and as someone who 'will be the best player from England and, very likely, one of the best that the game has ever seen.'
The beginning of chess in Bodhana's life
Bodhana's father told the BBC that he did not know the origin of his daughter's talent for chess, given that neither he nor her mother possesses great skill in the board game.
Bodhana began learning chess on her own in 2020, a period coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, she participated in her first tournament, and the following year, she was crowned champion of the European School Championship.
Last year, at the age of 10, the British girl solidified her position by becoming the youngest player to defeat a grandmaster, after defeating Peter Wells in the British Chess Championship.