11‑Year‑Old Bodhana Sivanandan Sets Record as Youngest Woman Grandmaster

11‑year‑old Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest ever Woman Grandmaster after completing her final norm at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, playing for England. The Olympiad performance gave her a score of 8.0/11 on Board 1, with six wins, and placed England 15th in the women’s section. Her 8‑point tally made her the 13th best player on the top board of the event. The previous youngest WGM record was held by Russian Kateryna Lagno, who earned the title at 12, a record later matched by former world champion Hou Yifan, also at 12. Bodhana’s family traces its roots to Trichy in Tamil Nadu; her father Sivanandan Velayutham moved the family to London in 2007 where she was born and raised. At age ten years, five months and three days, she defeated Grandmaster Peter Wells at the 2025 British Chess Championships, breaking the record for youngest female to beat a Grandmaster previously held by Carissa Yip. In August 2023, she visited 10 Downing Street when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was preparing a financial package for UK chess. Her Samarkand showing also earned a second International Master norm, bringing her two of the three needed for the IM title, which requires a 2400 rating and three norms.

Context

The Woman Grandmaster title is the highest women‑only title in chess and is retained for life. Young players often achieve the title by earning norms at major tournaments such as the Olympiad.