10-Year-Old London Chess Prodigy Becomes Youngest Woman International Master

Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old chess prodigy from Harrow, northwest London, has become the youngest person to earn the Woman International Master title and the youngest female to defeat a chess grandmaster. She achieved this milestone by beating 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells at the 2025 British Chess Championship in Liverpool, surpassing the previous record held by American Carissa Yip in 2019. The Woman International Master title is the second highest rank for women in chess, just below Woman Grandmaster, while the Grandmaster title is the highest attainable rank overall and is held for life. Bodhana first started playing chess during the COVID-19 pandemic when a family friend gave her a chessboard, and she quickly developed a passion for the game, which she says also helps with math and calculation skills. In 2024, she became the youngest person ever to represent England in any sport when selected for the England Women's Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary. Observers have praised her calmness, maturity, and strong work ethic on the board, with comparisons made to chess greats Magnus Carlsen and Jose Raul Capablanca.