British chess prodigy, 10, beats 60-year-old grandmaster

British genius Bodhana Sivanandan at the age of 10 has become the youngest chess player in the woman category to defeat a grandmaster.

60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells, resident of Portsmouth, UK, contested in the 2025 British Chess Championship where Grandmaster faced Sivanandan of Harrow and lost.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) turned to official X and announced: “British sensation Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by becoming the youngest female chess player ever to beat a grandmaster.”

FIDE post further reads: “She pulled off the win on Sunday against Grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool.”

The chess prodigy has dethroned the American fellow-gamer Carissa Yip by over six months and now holds the title of Woman International Master by FIDE.

Sivanandan made it to this historic point and broke the Yip record at the exact age of 10 years, 5 months and 3 days while the US player was 10 years, 11 months and 20 days when she won this title in 2019.

St John Fisher primary school-goer is daughter of Indian Tamil parents and holds Woman FIDE Master as of 2024 alonside current title.