10-year-old Indian-origin British prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan shocks chess world, wins UK Women’s Blitz Championship

Ten-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan from Harrow Primary School secured the women's first prize of £500 at the UK Open Blitz Championships in Leamington Spa on Saturday.

This achievement adds to her growing list of age-related records.

Sivanandan scored an impressive 13.5/15 points. She nearly faced a challenge from defending champion Elmira Mirzoeva in the second-to-last round, but Mirzoeva lost after making a crucial pawn error in a winning rook endgame.




Daniel Gormally, a 49-year-old grandmaster from Alnwick, claimed the Open Blitz title and £1,000 prize with 11.5/15 points.

He narrowly defeated 16-year-old Stanley Badacsonyi from north London by half a point, with GM Gawain Maroroa Jones and Frederick Waldhausen Gordon finishing close behind.

Badacsonyi, who lacks IM norms, shows promise as a dedicated and creative player with potential for future success.

Last month, in a major accomplishment, Sivanandan defeated former World Champion Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk at the European Club Cup in Greece.

Born in London in 2015 to parents from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Sivanandan represented the 12th-seeded team She Plays to Win Lionesses.

Earlier this year, Sivanandan became the youngest female chess player to defeat a grandmaster by beating 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells at the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool.

Her victory at 10 years, five months and three days surpassed the 2019 record held by American Carissa Yip, and she also became the youngest player to secure a WGM norm.

The Harrow schoolgirl, who started playing chess during lockdown, made history in 2024 as the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

Sivanandan is now part of a new generation of English chess talent making their mark in international competitions.

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