British schoolgirl, 11, becomes youngest woman grandmaster

Eleven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest player in history to achieve the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) confirmed.

The British chess prodigy from Harrow, north-west London, secured her third and final WGM norm a certified title-level performance while representing England on the top board at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Sivanandan played all 11 rounds for her team, finishing the tournament with eight points, having already surpassed the required 2300 rating threshold for the title.

Sivanandan’s achievement surpasses the previous age record held by Kateryna Lagno, who earned the title at age 12, a milestone also reached by China’s Hou Yifan. Alongside her WGM title, Sivanandan’s performance in Samarkand earned her a second International Master (IM) norm, bringing her closer to the higher-tier open title.