British Indian chess prodigy becomes youngest to beat Grandmaster

Bodhana Sivanandan, from northwest London, beat 60-year-old grandmaster Peter Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships.

Bodhana Sivanandan / Yuri Krylov/ English Chess Federation

A 10-year-old British Indian chess prodigy entered the record books by becoming the youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster.

Bodhana Sivanandan, from northwest London, beat 60-year-old grandmaster Peter Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool on Aug. 10.

Also Read: Divya Deshmukh becomes first Indian to win FIDE Women’s World Cup

At 10 years, five months and three days, she surpassed the previous record set in 2019 by American Carissa Yip, who was 10 years, 11 months and 20 days old when she achieved the feat, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

♟ British sensation Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by becoming the youngest female chess player ever to beat a grandmaster!

The 10-year-old, from Harrow, pulled off the win on Sunday against 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British… pic.twitter.com/bAMqeyFZHm
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 11, 2025

The victory also secured Sivanandan the Woman International Master title, making her the youngest in history to earn it, surpassing the mark set by Kazakh grandmaster Zhansaya Abdumalik, who was 11 years and five months old.

Born in Harrow, London, in 2015, Sivanandan began playing chess during the Covid-19 lockdown at the age of five, after receiving toys and books from a family friend. Since then, she has risen rapidly, becoming the youngest player ever selected for England’s team at the Chess Olympiad in 2023 and winning multiple age-group titles in Europe.

The 2025 championship also saw 52-year-old Michael Adams win his ninth British title, equalling the tally of the late Henry Atkins and leaving him one short of the all-time record of 10 held by Jonathan Penrose.

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