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A ten-year-old chess wonder from north-west London has achieved the distinction of being the youngest individual to receive the title of woman international master.
Bodhana Sivanandan, from Harrow, also made history as the youngest female to defeat a chess grandmaster during the 2025 British Chess Championship earlier this month.
In 2024, Bodhana was believed to be the youngest individual ever to represent England in any sport when she was selected for the England Women’s Team at the Chess Olympiad held in Hungary.
The International Chess Federation announced on its social media account on X that Bodhana “achieved victory against 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool.”
Grandmaster is the highest title achievable in chess, and once attained, it remains with the player for life.
Bodhana’s newly awarded title—woman international master—is the second-highest rank designated solely for women, following woman grandmaster.
Bodhana began her chess journey during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When it was 2020, it was Covid, so one of my dad’s friends was going back to India, and he had a few toys and books, and he gave them to us.
“And in one of the bags, I saw a chessboard, and I was interested in the pieces.
“I wanted to use the pieces as toys. Instead, my dad said that I could play the game, and then I started from there,” she said.
She said that playing chess makes her feel “good” and assists her with “numerous other subjects like maths and how to calculate.”
