Eleven-Year-Old British Player Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster Ever

An 11-year-old chess talent from Britain has set a new record as the youngest person ever to achieve the woman grandmaster title. Bodhana Sivanandan, who lives in north-west London, completed her third and last WGM norm -- a certified performance at title level -- while playing for England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE). In comments to FIDE, Sivanandan said she was pleased with the result but intended to 'keep making history.' The achievement marks another high point in a swift ascent for the schoolgirl, who has already become Britain's youngest women's chess champion and the youngest person to represent England in international competition in any sport. Sivanandan, who is from Harrow, appeared in all 11 rounds on England's top board, a spot given to the team's strongest player, and ended the event with eight points. She had already surpassed the 2300 rating mark needed for the WGM title before obtaining her third and final norm. In a FIDE interview on Sunday, she discussed the record: 'I'm happy to do it, but I want to keep going and keep making history as well, instead of just stopping here.' Kateryna Lagno, who has played for both Russia and Ukraine, previously held the WGM age record, earning the title at 12. China's Hou Yifan also gained the title at 12 and is still the youngest woman to secure the higher open grandmaster (GM) title, which she obtained at 14. The woman grandmaster title is the highest women-only honor available to a female player and is retained for life. Her performance in Samarkand also gave her a second International Master (IM) norm, moving her closer to that higher title. Normally, players need three qualifying norms and a rating of at least 2400 to become an international master. Sivanandan now has two IM norms. The international master title, open to both men and women, sits above her current honors, the woman grandmaster and woman international master titles. Speaking to FIDE about why she enjoys chess, she added: 'I like travelling and also because I do full-time school as well, it links to loads of school subjects, so it's really useful there as well.' Her father, Siva, previously told the BBC that he did not know the source of his daughter's ability, noting that neither he nor his wife, both engineering graduates, are skilled at chess. Her progress has been fast. After learning the game on her own during the coronavirus lockdown, she played her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in July 2021. A year later, at age seven, she won all 24 of her games at the European Schools Championship. In 2023, she became the youngest person to avoid losing to a grandmaster in a competitive game at the European Rapid and Blitz Championship in Croatia. The next year, at nine, she was picked to represent England at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The English Chess Federation said that selection made her the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport. Last year, at 10, Sivanandan became the youngest female player to beat a grandmaster when she defeated Peter Wells at the British Chess Championships. In July this year, she earned her first IM norm at the Dole Open in France, becoming the youngest girl to do so at 11 years and four months. She also beat grandmaster Marc'Andria Maurizzi, becoming the youngest girl known to defeat a player rated above 2600 in a classical game.