British-Indian Girl, 8, Named Top Female Player At European Chess Game

A British-Indian girl, Bodhana Sivanandan became a chess grandmaster at just the age of eight years, donning the title of Best Female Player at the European Rapid and Blitz Championship in Zagreb, Croatia. She made history by beating a player 30 years senior at the international tournament. She won 8.5/13 against a field of highly rated and experienced grandmasters, international masters and experts, and came 73rd in a round of 555 players, according to a report in The Guardian.

Bodhana Sivanandan, who is from Harrow, London, told BBC Radio 4, “I was very proud of myself when I got top girl in the European blitz." Sivanandan started playing chess only three years ago by "accident", her father stated. "She’s trying her best. And it worked in favour of her [in the tournament]. So it was a good thing that happened in Zagreb when we went for the European rapid and blitz event," her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, said. 

Chess Champ At Eight

Sivanandan's laser-sharp focus in the game has impressed even UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who invited her to his residence, 10 Downing Street to showcase her skills earlier this year. Soon after, the government announced an investment of £1 million in the game to increase the number of English grandmasters.

Sivanandan's father narrated how she started playing chess at the age of five. “Accidentally she started chess. She was curious, so I started taking her around the English Chess Federation and the people in England who play chess and support chess; they are very friendly and very supportive,” he told BBC Radio. 

According to the English Chess Federation, the European Blitz is all about speed, where each player is given three minutes plus an extra two seconds per move, and Sivanandan has aced quick strategising. Dominic Lawson, the president of the English Chess Federation, told the Times that her performance was “completely remarkable but not that surprising because she is a phenomenon”.

At Zagreb, Sivanandan beat her first international master, the England women’s coach, Lorin D’Costa (39) in the penultimate round. She then tackled the two-time Romanian champion Vladislav Nevednichy (54) in the final round, becoming the youngest player to defeat a grandmaster in a competitive game.

She was eligible for the under-12 prize as well as the prize for finishing top of the English contingent. However, there was a 'one prize per player' rule, so Sivanandan smartly chose the women’s award. Her overall tournament rating performance of 2316 was at the 'Woman Grandmaster' level.

Sivanandan told reporters at the event, “I always try my best to win all the tournaments, all the games. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.” Dominic Lawson added, "It’s an extraordinary result for an eight-year-old and something we’ve certainly never seen in this country. She has a remarkably mature playing style, it’s strategic and patient. She has what you might describe as a long game."