10-year-old prodigy becomes youngest female to defeat a chess grandmaster

NBC News

a day ago

A 10-year-old British girl is full of shocking moves, landing her a spot at the top of the chess world in a historic turn of events this week.
Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female player to ever defeat a chess grandmaster this weekend at the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool. Bodhana beat Peter Wells, 60, at the competition's final on Sunday.
She's about six months younger than the American who previously held the record in 2019, according to the International Chess Federation.
Bodhana is now considered an international master of the game, just one rung below grandmaster.
Bodhana's incredible chess skills have been making headlines for a few years. At just 8 years old, she was named the best female player at the European Blitz Chess Championship in Croatia.
The following year, she became the youngest person ever to represent England internationally, according to Sky News. Lawrence Trent, an English chess master, described Bodhana as "one of the greatest talents I've witnessed in recent memory."
Bodhana told the BBC last year that she began playing when she was 5 during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. A chess set was among a bunch of toys and games a father's friend gave them before returning to India, she said.
"I wanted to use the pieces as toys," Bodhana said. "Instead, my dad said that I could play the game, and then I started from there."
Chess, which is recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee, is no stranger to young prodigies. Last year, 8-year-old Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster.