British chess prodigy of Indian origin, Bodhana Sivanandan, has added another remarkable milestone to her already stellar career, becoming one of the youngest players ever to defeat a former world champion. The 10-year-old achieved this feat during the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece, by defeating Ukraine’s former Women’s World Champion, Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk.
Born in London in 2015 to parents from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Sivanandan became a Woman FIDE Master in 2024. In July 2025, at just 10 years old, she became the youngest chess player to earn a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm, surpassing Hou Yifan’s record of 11 years in 2005.
On Sunday, Sivanandan’s victory over Muzychuk (33, rated 2485, Women’s world No. 13) stood out as a stunning upset, considering she was rated 2205 — 280 FIDE points lower.
“She seems to be beating a GM every week now!” said English Grandmaster Danny Gormally. England’s No. 1 Grandmaster David Howell called it an “incredible win,” while former Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar described her game as “impressive.”
Sivanandan was playing for the 12th-seeded team, She Plays to Win Lionesses, which lost 3-1 in Round 1 to Turkish Airlines. Despite the team’s loss, her individual point is expected to be remembered for years.
Earlier this year, she made history at the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool by defeating 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells, surpassing Carissa Yip’s record to become the youngest female player ever to beat a grandmaster. This victory also secured her Woman International Master (WIM) title, making her the youngest ever to achieve it.
Since taking up chess during the 2020 lockdown, Sivanandan has been breaking records consistently:
- 2024: Youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport, at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary
- 2025: Youngest player to secure a WGM norm
Youngest female to defeat multiple grandmasters, including Peter Wells
Gormally highlighted the significance of this emerging generation: “English chess has been in the doldrums for many years, but now we have an exciting new generation with GM Shreyas Royal, Bodhana, FM Supratit Banerjee, and FM Ethan Pang. We don’t yet know how strong they will become, but the potential is immense.”
Bodhana Sivanandan’s rise promises to make her a major force in international chess for years to come.
–IANS