Most 11-year-olds are worried about homework and screen time. Bodhana Sivanandan spent her Friday in Montenegro breaking a chess record that had stood since 1988, the year Judit Polgar set it.
The Harrow schoolgirl, whose family comes from Trichy in Tamil Nadu, has become the youngest female International Master (IM) in chess history. She completed the title on October 23, 2026, at the European Club Cup for Women in Budva, Montenegro, aged 11 years, 7 months and 16 days. That beats the mark Polgar, widely seen as the greatest woman player ever, set when she qualified at 12.
Quick Facts
- Who: Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, England (Indian-origin, family from Trichy)
- What: Youngest female International Master in history
- When: October 23, 2026
- Where: European Club Cup for Women, Budva, Montenegro
- Age: 11 years, 7 months, 16 days
- Result: 5.5/7 on board one, five wins, one draw, one loss
- Record broken: Judit Polgar’s, set in 1988 (38 years ago)
How Bodhana Sealed the IM Title in Budva
Bodhana played on top board for the She Plays To Win Lionesses A team. The week did not start well. In round one she ran into GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, one of the strongest women in the world, and lost after a long 77-move fight.
She did not lose again. Wins over WFM Darshini T Sri, IM Olga Badelka, FM Ena Cvitan and Arina Budiak followed, along with a draw against GM Nino Batsiashvili. That set up a simple final-round task: win with the black pieces against Sweden’s WIM Viktoria Johansson to clinch her third and final IM norm.
She won. That took her to 5.5 points out of 7, and according to ChessBase India her rating climbed from 2382 to 2406, past the 2400 mark the IM title requires.
Her reaction was refreshingly calm for someone who had just made history. “I’m happy about that but hopefully I’m able to get grandmaster soon as well!” she told Chess.com.
Three IM Norms in Just Over Three Months
To become an IM, a player needs three strong tournament results, called norms, plus a rating of at least 2400. Plenty of talented players chase those norms for years. Bodhana collected all three between July and October.
- Dole Open, France (July): She beat GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi, rated 2628, in round one. That made her the youngest girl to beat a 2600+ player in classical chess and the youngest girl to score an IM norm.
- Chess Olympiad, Samarkand (September): She played every round on England’s top board, scored 8/11, and won her last game to earn norm number two. At the same event she became the youngest player ever to complete the requirements for the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title.
- European Club Cup, Budva (October): The final norm, and the record.
Squeezed in between, she also became the youngest British Women’s Champion in August. Not a bad year for someone still of primary school age.
Where Bodhana Ranks Among the Youngest IMs Ever
This is not just a “girls’ record”. Counting boys and girls together, Chess.com’s research puts Bodhana as the seventh-youngest International Master ever. Only ten players in history have earned the title before turning 12.
The company on that list is telling. She was about one month older than Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov when he became an IM in 2017, and almost two months younger than India’s D Gukesh was in 2018. Those two are set to meet in the World Championship match next month, so Indian fans can do the maths on what a list like this tends to produce.
ChessBase India also notes she is now the second-highest-rated player born in 2015 or later, behind IM Roman Shogdzhiev.
The India Connection: From Trichy Roots to Harrow
Bodhana represents England, but the story has been splashed across Indian media this week, from The Hindu to The Indian Express and NDTV. Her family hails from Trichy, and she joins a long line of Indian-origin youngsters lighting up world chess at a time when India itself is producing teenage stars at a remarkable rate.
Her rise has been quick. At eight, in 2023, she became England’s first world youth champion in 25 years, winning the girls’ under-8 titles in classical, rapid and blitz with a perfect 33/33. Since January 2026 she has worked with GM Mert Erdogdu four times a week, and she also trains with GM John Emms.
IM Malcolm Pein, the English Chess Federation’s Director of International Chess, called her “a generational talent”, as quoted by ChessBase India.
What We Don’t Know Yet
- FIDE still has to formally confer the IM title, and the exact date of that approval has not been announced. Chess.com reports her WGM title is also still awaiting formal approval.
- Reports give slightly different performance ratings for her Budva event, so we have left that figure out.
- No timeline has been given for a Grandmaster push, though that is clearly the next target.
What’s Next for Bodhana Sivanandan
According to Pein, her next stop is the FIDE Swiss at the 16th London Chess Classic. The bigger question is whether she can chase down Polgar’s other famous record. Polgar became a full Grandmaster at 15 years and 4 months, and at Bodhana’s current pace, that mark no longer looks untouchable.
For parents of young chess players in India, her path is a useful reminder: regular coaching, lots of strong tournaments and playing up against much higher-rated opponents. She lost to one of the world’s top women players in round one and still walked away with a record.
Our Take
Records involving kids can feel like trivia. This one is different. Polgar’s mark survived 38 years, including the entire computer-training era, and Bodhana did not scrape past it with one lucky week. She beat a 2600 GM, carried England’s top board at an Olympiad and bounced back from an opening-round loss in Budva. That is the profile of a future elite player, not a one-off headline.
FAQs
Who is Bodhana Sivanandan?
She is an 11-year-old chess player from Harrow, London, who represents England. Her family is originally from Trichy, Tamil Nadu.
Which record did Bodhana break?
She became the youngest female International Master in history, breaking the record Judit Polgar set in 1988 when she qualified at 12.
How old was Bodhana when she became an IM?
She was 11 years, 7 months and 16 days old on October 23, 2026, when she secured her final norm in Budva, Montenegro.
What do you need to become an International Master in chess?
A player needs three IM norms from qualifying tournaments and a FIDE rating of at least 2400. You can read the full rules in the FIDE Handbook.
Is Bodhana the youngest IM ever?
Not overall. She is the youngest girl, and the seventh-youngest player of any gender, according to Chess.com.
Based on reporting by Chess.com, ChessBase India, The Hindu and The Indian Express.
Leave a Reply