Meet Bodhana Sivanandan: 10-year-old becomes youngest female to beat a chess grandmaster
Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-yr-old from Harrow, became the youngest girl to defeat a grandmaster by beating GM Peter Wells at the 2025 British Chess Championships
Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old chess player from Harrow, has become the youngest girl to beat a grandmaster. On Sunday, she defeated 60-year-old GM Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool.
At 10 years, five months, and three days old, she broke the record set in 2019 by American Carissa Yip, who was 10 years, 11 months, and 20 days when she scored her first grandmaster win.
“How on earth did she win this? She must be some kind of magician,” GM Danny Gormally said while commentating for the English Chess Federation broadcast. She also earned praise from chess legend Susan Polgar.
Bodhana Sivanandan, youngest girl to defeat a GM
Polgar wrote on X, “Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest girl to defeat a GM at just 10 years, 5 months, and 3 days in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships! The previous record was held by IM Carissa Yip.”
Bodhana also earned her first Woman Grandmaster norm in the event. The win gave her the third norm needed for the Woman International Master title, making her the youngest player ever to achieve it. “By beating a GM in the final round, she also earned her final WIM norm and became a WIM at 10! Double congratulations,” Polgar added.
A Woman FIDE Master, Bodhana, has family roots in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Her father, IT professional Sivanandan Velayutham, moved the family to London in 2007. Born and raised in the city, she has become one of the most prominent faces in British chess.
Bodhana Sivanandan was invited by Rishi Sunak
In August 2023, at eight years old, she was invited to 10 Downing Street by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was announcing a funding plan to support chess in the UK.
Bodhana told the BBC last year that she started playing chess at age five during the COVID-19 lockdown. A friend of her father had given them a chess set along with other toys and games before returning to India, she said.
“I wanted to use the pieces as toys,” Bodhana said. “But my dad told me I could play the game, and that’s how I started.”
