10-year old Bodhana Sivanandan...

How does one define a chess prodigy? In Bodhana Sivanandan’s case, the answer comes in the form of a record-shattering checkmate. At just 10 years old, she has etched her name into chess history as the youngest female player ever to defeat a grandmaster — a feat that demands not only innate brilliance but also the composure of a seasoned champion.

The setting was the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championship in Liverpool. Representing Hera, Bodhana sat across from none other than 60-year-old grandmaster Peter Wells — a veteran of the game, armed with decades of experience and strategic mastery. It was the kind of matchup that seemed almost symbolic: the unflinching confidence of youth facing the entrenched wisdom of age.

Move after move, Bodhana dismantled Wells’s defenses with precision and poise, her every decision reflecting a maturity far beyond her years. There was no hesitation, no intimidation — only the quiet certainty of someone who knew she belonged at the board, no matter the opponent’s title or résumé.

By the end of the match, the result was indisputable: the 10-year-old had outplayed the grandmaster. The victory did more than earn her a place in the record books; it signaled the arrival of a formidable force in the global chess arena. For Wells, it was a rare defeat. For Bodhana, it was the beginning of something far greater — the first move in what promises to be an extraordinary career.

After all, in the game of chess, it isn’t the years that count. It’s the moves.
**This news was published on Times of India on 12th August, 2025.

 

Source Click