Photograph: John Saunders/FIDE

Key Points

• At age 7, Bodhana Sivanandan won all 24 of her matches at the European Schools Championship, winning three gold medals.
• In 2024, she became the youngest person to ever represent England in any sport when she was selected for the Chess Olympiad.
• She had shocked Ukraine's former Women’s title holder Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece .

Indian-origin Bodhana Sivanandan has scripted history by storming to the top of the UK chess rankings after a sensational start to 2026.

At just 11 years old, she has become Great Britain's No 1 Women's Chess player dethroning four-time British Women's Champion Lan Yao, aged 25, according to the latest FIDE rankings released on April 1, 2026.

The youngster has also broken into the World's top 100 ranking for the first time, after rising to World No 72 in the latest women's rankings.

Sivanandan took up the sport during the COVID lockdown after spotting an old chessboard and set in a bag her father was about to throw out, said a report in the English Chess Federation's website.

Her FIDE rating currently stands at an impressive 2366, powered by strong performances in the tournaments in France, Austria and at the 4NCL -- Britain's top chess league in Coventry.

Bodhana Sivanandan youngest ever to beat a GM

IMAGE: Bodhana Sivanandan, 11 with former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Photograph: Rishi Sunak/Instagram

The youngster has delivered record-breaking performances in the last few years. Aged just 10, she pulled off a massive upset last year when she shocked Ukraine's former Women’s title holder Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece -- her first win against a World champion.

She is also the youngest female chess player ever to beat a grandmaster. At just 10 years old, she had stunned 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, which saw her become the youngest ever to secure a WGM norm.

In 2024, Sivanandan created history as the youngest person ever to represent England in any sport at the international level when she was selected for the England Women's Team for the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

'As a federation representing chess players in a country with such a great chess heritage, we couldn't be prouder of Bodhana’s achievements,' said Richard Walsh, CEO of the English Chess Federation.

'She is blazing a trail not just for women and girls in the game, but for all chess players in England. Across all sports, she must be one of the most prodigious talents England has ever produced.'