Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest female International Master (IM) at the age of 11, breaking a record held by Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgar for 38 years. The young English player achieved the milestone following an impressive performance at the European Women’s Chess Club Cup 2026.
Hailing from Harrow in north London, Sivanandan has rapidly emerged as one of the most promising young talents in international chess. Her latest achievement also places her among the 10 youngest International Masters in chess history, highlighting her growing stature in the sport.
The European Chess Union congratulated Sivanandan on her accomplishment, confirming that she secured the title with a victory in the final round of the tournament. Representing the She Plays to Win Lionesses, she scored 5.5 points from seven games while playing on the top board.
Sivanandan entered the competition needing only a few additional rating points to qualify for the open International Master title. Her performances against experienced international opponents proved decisive in completing the achievement.
During the tournament, she narrowly missed drawing her opening-round encounter against Russian Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina. She subsequently defeated Belarusian International Master Olga Badelka in the third round, taking her live rating to 2399.4. She followed that result with a draw against Georgian Grandmaster Nino Batsiashvili.
A crucial moment came with her 32-move victory over Sweden’s Woman International Master Viktoria Johansson. The win helped Sivanandan secure the distinction and surpass the previous age record associated with Polgar.
Polgar, widely regarded as one of the greatest female chess players of all time, had established the previous benchmark in 1988. Sivanandan’s achievement marks a significant moment in women’s chess, demonstrating how young players are increasingly competing at the highest levels of the game.
The young prodigy’s name now joins an impressive list of chess talents who earned the International Master title at exceptionally young ages. The list includes India’s R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Argentina’s Faustino Oro, Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Russia’s Roman Shogdzhiev.
Sivanandan’s success is also a source of pride for the Indian-origin community in the United Kingdom, where she has developed her chess career while competing against some of the world’s strongest players.
Her latest milestone underlines the importance of early training, competitive experience and sustained development in elite chess. At just 11, Sivanandan has already secured a place in the sport’s record books, raising expectations for what she may accomplish in the years ahead.
