Indian origin Bodhana Sivanandan from the UK has made chess history by becoming the youngest female ever to defeat a grandmaster.
10-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, who lives in northwest London, achieved the feat in Liverpool, where she overcame 60-year-old grandmaster Pete Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships on 10 August 2025.
At just 10 years, five months, and three days old, Sivanandan surpassed the previous record held by American player Carissa Yip, who was 10 years, 11 months, and 20 days old when she beat a grandmaster in 2019, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
The victory secured her the title of Woman International Master — one step below the Woman Grandmaster designation. The Grandmaster title itself remains the highest honour in chess, held by players such as reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Her father told the BBC in 2024 that no one in their family had previously excelled at the game.
The title of the youngest male to defeat a grandmaster also belongs to an Indian-origin chess prodigy. On February 18, 2024, Ashwath Kaushik from Singapore set a new milestone by becoming the youngest player in history to beat a grandmaster in a classical chess match. India-born Ashwath won against GM Jacek Stopa at the age of eight years, six months, and 11 days at the 22nd Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
