London schoolgirl, 11, becomes England’s top female chess player after stunning global rise

Jack Otway
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:38:27 +0000

An 11-year-old from Harrow has risen to become England's highest-ranked female chess player, securing the 72nd position in the International Chess Federation's global women's rankings.

Bodhana Sivanandan achieved a rating of 2,366, overtaking 25-year-old Lan Yao, who previously held the top spot among English women players.

The north London schoolgirl reached this milestone following tournament victories across France, Austria and the UK.

Despite her remarkable ascent, Bodhana remains focused on further improvement.

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"It's good, but I want to keep going," she said, per The Times.

"I was a bit happy, but I don't want to stop there."

Bodhana's journey into chess began at the age of five during the pandemic, when she stumbled upon a board her father Siva had intended to give away to charity.

Her father, who works in IT, initially struggled to convince her it was even a game.

"I said it's a game but she didn't believe me, so I had to put on a YouTube video to explain. Then she asked about the rules I knew just the very, very basics," he recalled.

From those humble beginnings, her enthusiasm and ability grew steadily, leading to more frequent practice sessions.

She began competing at Harrow Chess Club while also honing her skills against opponents online.

At the European Schools Championship in May 2022, the then seven-year-old swept all 24 of her matches, claiming three gold medals.

Her rating crossed the 2,000 threshold in September 2023, earning her official expert status.

The following year brought another historic achievement when she was selected for the Chess Olympiad in Hungary, making her the youngest individual ever to represent England in any sport. She occasionally required a booster seat during matches.

Last August at the British Chess Championships in Liverpool, Bodhana defeated 60-year-old Peter Wells, becoming the youngest female player to overcome a grandmaster.

Her list of conquered opponents also includes Mariya Muzychuk, the former women's world champion from Ukraine.

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Her school has granted special permission for tournament travel, and this week she journeyed from the Reykjavik Open in Iceland to the Open International in Spain.

"I just like travelling in general, anywhere. I don't really have preferences, but I just like travelling anywhere," Bodhana said.

With SAT exams approaching in a month, she continues balancing Year 6 studies alongside violin and piano lessons.

Malcolm Pein, an international master and chess coach, described her as a "generational talent with no equivalent in any other sport".

Richard Walsh, chief executive of the English Chess Federation, said: "We can't be prouder of Bodhana's achievements."

Her ultimate ambition is surpassing American Abhimanyu Mishra's record as youngest grandmaster, achieved at 12.