Nine-Year-Old Chess Prodigy to Become Youngest Player on England's Team
Nine-year-old chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan is set to make history by becoming the youngest person ever to represent England internationally in any sport. The talented young player from Harrow, north-west London, will join the England Women’s Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary later this year, making her debut alongside teammates who are significantly older.
Bodhana is nearly 15 years younger than her closest teammate, 23-year-old Lan Yao. “I found out yesterday after I came back from school, when my dad told me,” she shared with the BBC. “I was happy. I hope I’ll do well, and I’ll get another title.”
Malcolm Pein, the manager of the England chess team, has high praise for the young star. “It’s exciting – she’s on course to be one of the best British players ever,” he remarked, describing her as the most remarkable prodigy British Chess has ever seen.
Despite her father’s background in engineering, he admits he is baffled by his daughter’s extraordinary talent. “I’m an engineering graduate, as is my wife, but I’m not good at chess,” Siva Sivanandan told the BBC. “I tried a couple of league games, but I was very poor.”
Bodhana’s journey with chess began during the pandemic. “When one of my dad’s friends was going back to India, he gave us a few bags [of possessions],” Bodhana explained. “There was a chessboard, and I was interested in the pieces, so I started playing.” She finds that chess not only makes her feel “good” but also helps with “lots of other things like maths and how to calculate.”
In a Zoom call with the BBC, Bodhana and her father shared insights into her daily practice routine. Bodhana dedicates at least an hour each day to practicing chess. Two years ago, she dominated the under-eight category by winning all three world championships: the classical game, rapid game, and blitz game.
As she prepares for the Chess Olympiad in Hungary, Bodhana remains committed to her rigorous training. “On school days I practice for around one hour every day,” she said. “On the weekends, I usually play tournaments, but when I don’t, I practice for more than an hour.”
The surge of young talent in chess is notable, with more young people taking an interest in the game. Mr. Pein attributes this trend to the lockdowns and the impact of the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” which spotlighted a gifted female chess player.
Mr. Pein is confident in Bodhana’s potential, believing she will achieve her goal of becoming a grandmaster, the highest title in international chess. Currently, the youngest grandmaster title holder is Abhimanyu Mishra from the US, who earned the title at 12 years old in 2021. However, Bodhana aims to clinch the title by the age of 10, one year before finishing primary school.