Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:50am on 16 Aug 2026,Sunday Sports
Eleven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan has emerged as one of Britain’s brightest chess talents after becoming the country’s youngest women’s champion. The Indian-origin prodigy secured the title with a spectacular knight sacrifice and is now England’s highest-rated female player. She began playing chess at five during the 2020 lockdown and quickly rose through international competitions. Sivanandan has defeated experienced grandmasters, including Peter Wells and Marc’Andria Maurizzi, and earlier in 2026 earned the FIDE Master title. She also became the youngest girl to achieve an international master qualification standard, surpassing a record associated with Judit Polgar. She now aims to become a grandmaster. (PC: Reuters)
