Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster at 11

Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old Indian-born chess player playing for England, has become the youngest player to satisfy the criteria for achieving the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She attained her third and last WGM norm at the 46th Chess Olympiad of FIDE in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. FIDE announced this remarkable feat while the tournament was taking place. Bodhana represented England on the No. 1 Board and scored 8 out of 11 in the Chess Olympiad.

Bodhana Sivanandan’s WGM Title Achievement

The player achieved three WGM norms for getting the title of WGM at the 2026 Chess Olympiad. This feat made her break the previous record related to age, that is, Kateryna Lagno attained the WGM title at the age of 12.

The player has thus become the youngest player to satisfy the criteria for getting the title of WGM. The WGM title is given by FIDE and is a lifetime title.

Second International Master Norm

Bodhana has another IM norm from the tournament in Samarkand as well.

An IM title is an open title, which means it is open to both men and women. For the IM title under the title norms set by FIDE, a player needs to have three IM norms and also a rating of 2400 and above.

Thus, with this norm, Bodhana will be able to go ahead towards the more prestigious open International Master title while achieving the title of WGM as well.

Previously, FIDE had mentioned Bodhana as one of the rising talents to look out for at the 2026 Olympics. This was in its rating list for April, where it had also recognized her rapid increase in ratings.

Performance of Bodhana in Chess Olympiad 2026

Bodhana played all 11 rounds for England in the Women’s tournament on first board. She scored 8 points, consisting of six victories, and emerged one of the strongest individuals who performed on the first board.

England ranked 15th in the women’s tournament, whereas the individual performance of Bodhana made her rank amongst top players on first board.

The Chess Olympiad 2026 took place in Samarkand from 15/16th September to 27/28th September with open and women’s tournament being held in 11 classical games. FIDE registered record number of entries, with 189 teams participating in the women’s tournament.

Origins in India and Emergence in British Chess

Bodhana grew up in the London, and her ancestral origins trace back to Trichy, in the state of Tamil Nadu. She took up the game of chess during the COVID-19 pandemic and made quick progress within the ranks of British chess.

She kept up the momentum into the 2025 British Chess Championships, where she emerged as the youngest female ever to beat a Grandmaster. She achieved another feat of becoming the youngest woman chess champion ever in Britain in 2026.

Another achievement had been registered by FIDE when she became the youngest girl ever to score an International Master norm.

Bodhana and Youngest WGM Title Holder

Before Bodhana, the youngest age record in terms of obtaining the WGM title belonged to Kateryna Lagno, who obtained the title when she was 12 years old.

World women’s champion Hou Yifan obtained the WGM title at the age of 12 as well. Hou Yifan is also known for becoming the youngest woman obtaining the GM title at 14.

Thus, it is clear that Bodhana’s achievement is not connected with the youngest female player obtaining the open Grandmaster title.