Bodhana Sivanandan: Indian-Origin 11-Year-Old Becomes England's Top-Rated Female Chess Player

Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become England’s top-rated female player, according to the latest rating list of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

The 11-year-old, whose parents moved from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu to England in 2007, has a FIDE rating of 2366.

Who Is Bodhana Sivanandan?

The primary school student from north London has overtaken four-time British women’s champion Lan Yao, 25, at the top of the FIDE list for England.

With this achievement, she has also broken into the world’s top 100 women for the first time and is currently ranked number 72, the English Chess Federation said in a press release.

“It is an extraordinary rise for a Harrow schoolgirl who took up the game during (the 2020 COVID-19) lockdown after finding a chessboard

and set in a bag her father wanted to throw out,” the release added.

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is also of Indian origin, congratulated Sivanandan and recalled the time he played a game with her at his official residence.

“Huge congratulations to Bodhana Sivanandan on becoming England’s top female chess player at just 11 years old. We once played each other in the Downing Street garden. Let’s just say her success has not come as a shock,” he posted on X.

Huge congratulations to Bodhana Sivanandan on becoming England’s top female chess player at just 11 years old.

We once played each other in the Downing Street garden. Let’s just say her success has not come as a shock! pic.twitter.com/KZ2EcXysyO

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 2, 2026

Sivanandan became a Woman International Master last year.

She went on to outwit Ukraine’s former world champion, Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk, at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece.

“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,” Richard Walsh, CEO of the English Chess Federation, said.

“We cannot wait to see what she can do in her career. Bodhana has worked so hard, her family have worked so hard, and now she is competing at the highest level flying the flag,” he added.

(With inputs from Agencies)