11-year-old chess prodigy of Indian origin Bodhana Sivanandan broke the 38-year-old record of legend Judit Polgarová

11-year-old Indian-born British chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan Eleven-year-old chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan made history by becoming the youngest player ever to qualify for the International Master (IM) title.The schoolgirl from Harrow, England reached a milestone at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, breaking the record held for 38 years by chess legend Judit Polgar.The English Chess Federation praised Bodhana’s achievement, describing her as an exceptional talent with a bright future in the sport.IM Malcolm Pein, the federation’s director of international chess, said: “I can only describe Bodhana as a generational talent. There was no limit to what she could achieve.”

Bodhana breaks the record of Judit Polgarová

Bodhana secured her final required IM standard after facing Swedish women’s international champion Viktoria Johansson in the final round of the tournament. At 11 years and seven months, she surpassed Polgar, who reached the same milestone at 12 years in 1988.To qualify for the IM title, players typically need three tournament performances known as norms and a FIDE rating of at least 2400. The title is open to both men and women and ranks just below grandmaster, the highest title in chess.Pein also praised Bodhana for achieving Polgar’s achievements at a similar age, adding: “It is remarkable that she more than matches Judit Polgar’s achievements at a similar age and breaks her records, even though we live in different times. It is worth noting that Bodhana is the seventh youngest player, boy or girl, to become an international champion.”

A remarkable rise in chess

Bodhana’s latest success follows several notable successes. Last month, she became the youngest ever player to qualify for the Woman Grandmaster title after scoring eight points in 11 games at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.Her progress has been rapid since she discovered chess at five during the Covid lockdown. At the age of nine, she became the youngest person to be selected to represent England at international level in any sport. She later defeated a grandmaster at the 2025 British Chess Championships and this July she defeated a player ranked above 2600.She also won the British Women’s Chess Championship in August. Now that the IM requirements are completed before turning 12, Bodhana is moving closer to her next big ambition: becoming a grandmaster.