Youngest Woman Grandmaster’: 11-year-old British-Indian chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan gets Guinness record

Bodhana has already received certificates for the two earlier records, while the certificate for her latest achievement is yet to arrive.

The announcement also drew praise online, with several users celebrating the youngster’s achievement and acknowledging the role played by her family and coaches.

“Eleven years old and a title. Chess teaches what every kid needs: slow down, look at the whole board, check your move before you play it. Congratulations to her and her family,” one user commented.

Check the post:

11-year-old UK chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has achieved the @GWR title for youngest chess player to achieve the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title following her history-making performance at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand 🏆 pic.twitter.com/uZ11U946Qk

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) October 2, 2026

“What an incredible achievement at such a young age. Credit also to her trainers and, of course, her parents for the guidance and support behind the scenes,” another wrote.

Bodhana, who holds the Woman FIDE Master title, has family roots in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, works in the IT sector and moved to London with his family in 2007. Bodhana was born and raised in London, where she has emerged as one of the most prominent young names in British chess.

Her talent had already brought her to 10 Downing Street in August 2023, when she was invited by then-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he prepared to announce a financial package for chess in the UK.

Interestingly, chess was never something her family had planned for her.

“Bodhana started playing chess when she was just five years old. We had no plans to make her play chess. She just stumbled across a chessboard at home and started to play,” her father told The Indian Express last year.

While chess has become a major part of her life, Bodhana’s routine is not limited to the game. Her parents have also placed considerable importance on her education, and she took up both piano and violin a couple of years ago.

For now, though, chess remains her favourite.

“I like chess more than playing the piano and violin because there’s no grading in piano, and in chess you can keep improving,” she said.