Bodhana Sivanandan: 11-YO Indian-origin British becomes youngest WGM

Most kids at 11 are probably trying to figure out how to keep track of their homework or negotiate with their parents about weekend plans. Bodhana Sivanandan has taken a wildly different path. She’s managed to carve her name into the chess history books by becoming the youngest woman ever to earn the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. And she didn’t pull this off quietly at a local tournament; she did it while playing for England at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.This wasn’t a fluke or a one-time hot streak. Per the International Chess Federation, Bodhana earned her third and final WGM norm at the Olympiad, which made her eligible for the WGM title. She stands at just 11, shattering a decade-old record held by Russia's Kateryna Lagno, who managed the feat at 12 years and four months.