British-Indian Girl, 9, To Make History At Budapest Chess Olympiad

A nine-year-old British-Indian girl is set to make history as the youngest player to represent England in an international sporting championship. Bodhana Sivanandan from Harrow started playing chess at the age of five and has already qualified for England’s women’s team to play in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest in September 2024. “I’m so pleased to be picked for England,” Sivanandan told The Guardian. “It’s a great honour and I’m looking forward to being part of a team.” The little girl has set her sights on becoming a grandmaster and winning the women’s world title.

In December 2023, eight-year-old Sivananandan earned the title of Best Female Player at the European Rapid and Blitz Championship in Zagreb, Croatia. She made history by beating a player 30 years senior at the international tournament. She told BBC Radio 4, “I was very proud of myself when I got top girl in the European blitz." 

Another record in the books for Bodhana! 🔥🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/8D0nbhIDdI

— Chess.com (@chesscom) July 2, 2024

Who Is Bodhana Sivanandan?

Bodhana's father, Sivanandan Velayutham, narrated how she started playing chess at the age of five. “Accidentally she started chess. She was curious, so I started taking her around the English Chess Federation and the people in England who play chess and support chess; they are very friendly and very supportive,” he told BBC Radio. 

Sivanandan's laser-sharp focus on chess has impressed even UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who invited her to his residence, 10 Downing Street to showcase her skills earlier this year. Soon after, the government announced an investment of £1 million in the game to increase the number of English grandmasters.

One of the Budapest selectors, Malcolm Pein, told The Guardian that Sivanandan’s spot was well-deserved. “Bodhana’s success at the European level includes victories over many established players, and her fearless style of play and immense focus on the board has already caused a sensation in the chess world,” he said.

European Rapid and Blitz Championship

According to the English Chess Federation, the European Blitz is all about speed, where each player is given three minutes plus an extra two seconds per move, and Sivanandan has aced quick strategising. Dominic Lawson, the president of the English Chess Federation, told the Times that her performance was “completely remarkable but not that surprising because she is a phenomenon”.

At Zagreb, Sivanandan beat her first international master, the England women’s coach, Lorin D’Costa (39) in the penultimate round. She then tackled the two-time Romanian champion Vladislav Nevednichy (54) in the final round, becoming the youngest player to defeat a grandmaster in a competitive game.

She was eligible for the under-12 prize as well as the prize for finishing top of the English contingent. However, there was a 'one prize per player' rule, so Sivanandan smartly chose the women’s award. Her overall tournament rating performance of 2316 was at the 'Woman Grandmaster' level. Sivanandan told reporters at the event, “I always try my best to win all the tournaments, all the games. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.”