Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old chess prodigy, competes in the British Chess Championships at St. George's Hall on August 07, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
A 10-year-old British chess player made history last week when she beat a 60-year-old chess grandmaster, becoming the youngest female chess player ever to do so.
According to the International Chess Federation, Bodhana Sivanandan won against 60-year-old grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool.
Bodhana Sivanandan, a chess prodigy
By the numbers:
Sivanandan’s victory at 10 years, 5 months and 3 days beats the 2019 record held by AmericanCarissa Yip (10 years, 11 months and 20 days), the International Chess Federation said in a post on X.
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According to BBC, Sivanandan’s win also makes her the youngest person to earn the woman international master title, the second-highest ranking for women in chess. The woman grandmaster title is the highest rank.
What they're saying:
Sivanandan’s father Siva told BBC he doesn’t know where she got her chess instincts. He said he and his wife, both engineering graduates, are no good at chess.
The backstory:
Sivanandan started playing chess when she was 5 years old, 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," she told BBC. "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."
What's next:
Sivanandan has no plans on stopping with her second-highest ranking. She said she fully intends to achieve her ultimate goal of becoming a grandmaster.
The Source: This report includes information from the International Chess Federation and BBC.