British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan becomes youngest-ever Woman Grandmaster at 11

British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by becoming the youngest player ever to fulfil the requirements for the Woman Grandmaster title at just 11 years old.

Sivanandan achieved the milestone while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The International Chess Federation confirmed that the London-born youngster secured her third and final WGM norm during the tournament, completing one of the major requirements for the title. FIDE
She played all 11 rounds for England on the team’s top board and finished with eight points.

Sivanandan had already crossed the 2300 rating threshold required for the WGM title before earning the final norm in Samarkand. Linda Ikeji’s Blog
The previous age record had been held by Kateryna Lagno, who earned the WGM title at 12.
Chinese great Hou Yifan also became a Woman Grandmaster at 12 before later earning the higher open Grandmaster title at 14. Linda Ikeji’s Blog
Another step towards higher chess titles
Sivanandan’s performance at the Olympiad also earned her a second International Master norm.

Players seeking the open International Master title generally require three qualifying norms and must reach the relevant FIDE rating requirement.
Earlier this year, Sivanandan became the youngest girl ever to earn an International Master norm after a strong performance at the Dole Open in France. FIDE Women
She also became Britain’s youngest-ever women’s chess champion in August after winning the women’s title at the British Chess Championships aged 11. FIDE
Her rapid rise began after she learned chess during the COVID-19 lockdown and later developed her game partly through online tutorials.
Sivanandan has now established herself as one of the most closely watched young players in international chess.