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Shreyas Royal, Bodhana Sivanandan crowned UK chess champions
Royal is the country's youngest-ever grandmaster.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 10, Aug 2026
- 03:50 EDT
- 22
British Chess Championship / English Chess Federation
Seventeen-year-old Grandmaster Shreyas Royal won his first British Chess Championship, while 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest-ever British Women's champion in a landmark edition of the tournament.
Royal sealed the title by defeating International Master Harry Grieve in the final round, finishing on 7 points from nine rounds. His victory marks a major breakthrough for the England international, as he is the country's youngest-ever grandmaster.
ALSO READ: India’s Viswanathan Anand takes helm of World Chess body
The 2026 British Chess Championships are complete!
— English Chess Federation (ECF) (@ecfchess) August 9, 2026
♔ British Champion: Shreyas Royal
♕ British Women's Champion: Bodhana Sivanandan, who claimed the title after a dramatic rapid play-off against Trisha Kanyamarala.
Congratulations to all of this year's champions ! ️♟️ pic.twitter.com/LVVb7NT2jG
Royal topped the table after nine rounds, finishing half a point ahead of two of England's more seasoned grandmasters, Luke McShane and nine-time champ Michael Adams. It was Royal's first British title.
Sivanandan became Britain's youngest-ever Women's Chess Champion. Her only loss in the tournament was to Royal in Round 6.
In a tense, rapid-chess playoff between the top female players, Sivanandan defeated Ireland's 14-year-old Trisha Kanyamarala.
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