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Bodhana Sivanandan becomes Britain’s top female chess player
She replaced four-time British Women’s Champion Lan Yao in the April FIDE rankings.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 02, Apr 2026
- 17:31 EDT
- 15
Bodhana Sivanandan / English Chess Federation
British Indian chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan became Britain’s top-ranked female player at the age of 11, marking another milestone in a rapidly rising career.
The North London schoolgirl moved to the No. 1 English female spot in the latest world rankings published by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in April. She also entered the world’s top 100 women for the first time, reaching No. 72.
Also read: Indian-origin chess prodigy wins UK blitz title
Sivanandan’s FIDE rating rose to 2366 after a strong run of performances at tournaments in France and Austria, as well as in the 4NCL, Britain’s top chess league, held in Coventry.
She replaced four-time British Women’s Champion Lan Yao, 25, as the top-ranked female player in England. According to the English Chess Federation, Sivanandan is also rated above the leading women players from the other UK nations.
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated Sivanandan in a post on X, writing, “We once played each other in the Downing Street garden. Let’s just say her success has not come as a shock!” he added.
Huge congratulations to Bodhana Sivanandan on becoming England’s top female chess player at just 11 years old.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 2, 2026
We once played each other in the Downing Street garden. Let’s just say her success has not come as a shock! pic.twitter.com/KZ2EcXysyO
Sivanandan was in Iceland last week, where she competed in the Reykjavik Open and secured four wins in the strong international field.
She made headlines last year after defeating Ukraine’s former women’s world champion Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece.
In 2025, Sivanandan became the youngest female chess player ever to defeat a grandmaster when she beat Grandmaster Peter Wells at the British Chess Championships in Liverpool at age 10. During the same event, she also became the youngest player ever to earn a Women Grandmaster norm.
In 2024, she became the youngest person ever to represent England internationally in any sport when she was selected for the England Women’s Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.
Richard Walsh, chief executive officer of the English Chess Federation, said, “As a federation representing chess players in a country with such a great chess heritage, we couldn’t be prouder of Bodhana’s achievements.”
“She is blazing a trail not just for women and girls in the game, but for all chess players in England. Across all sports, she must be one of the most prodigious talents England has ever produced,” Walsh said.
“We cannot wait to see what she can do in her career. Bodhana has worked so hard, her family have worked so hard, and now she is competing at the highest level flying the flag,” he added.
Sivanandan is among a new generation of young English chess players gaining international attention, including Britain’s youngest grandmaster Shreyas Royal and 12-year-old FIDE Master Supratit Banerjee.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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