London, 29 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Eleven-year-old chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest woman grandmaster in chess history following a strong performance at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Sivanandan, who is from northwest London and represented England at the tournament, told the International Chess Federation (FIDE) that she was determined to “keep making history” after achieving the highest female-only title in chess. She said she was happy with the achievement but wanted to continue progressing rather than stop at the milestone. Sivanandan also said she did not feel significant pressure while playing on the top board and focused on enjoying the tournament. The achievement adds to her rapid rise in chess, after she became Britain’s youngest female chess champion and the youngest person to represent England at an international tournament in any sport. In August 2025, she became the youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster when she beat 60-year-old Pete Wells at the age of 10 years, five months and three days, breaking a record previously held by American chess player Carissa Yip. Sivanandan began playing chess during the Covid-19 pandemic when she was five years old after discovering a chessboard among toys and books given to her family by a friend of her father. She has said that she enjoys both the sport and travelling for competitions, while also finding chess useful for her school studies.