British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has earned the title of International Master at the age of 11, setting a new record. She surpassed the achievement of Hungarian chess player Judit Polgár, who received the title at the age of 12 in 1988. The Guardian reports on the milestone.

According to the rules of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), a player must reach a rating of 2,400 points and meet other relevant requirements to obtain the International Master title.

Bodhana Sivanandan has joined the ranks of the seven youngest chess players to earn the International Master title in the open category. The record in this category belongs to Russia’s Roman Shogdzhiev, who achieved the title in 2025 at the age of 10 years, 3 months and 21 days.

The young chess player’s achievements do not end there. Following the World Chess Olympiad held in Samarkand at the end of September, Sivanandan was also recognised as the youngest female player to earn the title of Grandmaster. The previous record belonged to Ekaterina Lagno, who became a Grandmaster in 2002 at the age of 12 years and 4 months. She previously competed for Ukraine and has represented Russia since 2014.

In addition, Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female chess champion in Great Britain. She broke the record set by Elaine Pritchard, who won the title in 1939 at the age of 13.

These remarkable achievements reflect the young player’s talent and high level of preparation. Sivanandan’s success on the international stage has attracted the attention of the global chess community and once again demonstrated the opportunities available to young athletes in this sport.