New Delhi: British Indian chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by becoming the youngest female player ever to defeat a grandmaster, according to a press release issued by English Chess Federation (ECF).
The ECF stated, “The 10-year-old, from Harrow, pulled off the win on Sunday against 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool. Sivanandan’s victory at 10 years, five months and three days beats the 2019 record held by American Carissa Yip, who went on to become an International Master.”
The release added that her win also picked up the final “norm” or result, she needed to claim the Women’s International Master title, which is one of the rungs on the way to the highest title in chess, Grandmaster.
Quoting ECF expert commentator Danny Gormally, the release said, “How on earth did she win this? She must be some kind of magician! She likes to play simple positional moves, nothing special, very solid player and she tends to outplay her opponents later in the game.There's a touch of a [world number-one] Magnus Carlsen or the great Jose Raul Capablanca about her play. I would imagine Magnus Carlsen is probably one of her chess heroes.”
According to the federation, Sivanandan gained 24 rating points during the event and finished in equal 26th place - a remarkable finish for a 10-year-old.
The Grandmaster Michael Adams won his ninth national title yesterday in a sensational three-way playoff finish to the 111th British Chess Championships held in Liverpool’s St George’s Hall, the release added.
As per the ECF, Lan Yao and Elmira Mirzoeva, both WGM title holders, were crowned joint 2025 British Women’s champions. “Lan drew in the final-round while Mirzoeva won to finish level on 5.5/9. It was Lan’s fourth title in a row and Mirzoeva’s first,” the statement read.
