England Has A New Top Female Player—She's 11 Years Old

When the English Chess Federation notified the chess community, it had to do so by making clear this was no April Fool's joke. It was April 1, after all.

But there's no denying it: British chess phenom WIM Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by shooting to the top of the UK chess rankings after a sensational start to 2026.

The 11-year-old from north London has rocketed to the number one English female spot, she is rated higher than the top women in all the other UK nations, and she has also broken into the world’s top 100 women for the first time, sitting at number-72.

Sivanandan, who is still in primary school, was in Iceland until Tuesday where she has been competing at the super-strong Reykjavik Open and picked up four wins.

Here she is in Iceland with the white pieces against Abhinav Reddy Bathula in Round 8. The game ended in a draw:

In the FIDE's April rankings list, Sivanandan replaced four-time British Women’s Champion WGM, aged 25, as the English federation’s top player.

Her FIDE rating now stands at 2366 after strong performances over the last month at tournaments in France, Austria and at the 4NCL, Britain’s top chess league, in Coventry.

It is an extraordinary rise up the rankings for a Harrow schoolgirl who took up the game during lockdown when she found a chessboard and set in a bag her father wanted to throw out.

And, it's unlikely to stop. Right now Sivanandan is in Spain preparing to compete in the Open Internacional de Ajedrez Semana Santa, an event rammed with GMs and titled players.

Last month she shared first prized at the British Women's Rapidplay Championships, to become a joint national champion.

Sivanandan has broken record after record in her short chess career.
Last year the youngster made headlines when she downed a world champion for the first time. She beat Ukraine’s former Women's title holder GM Mariya Muzychuk at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece.

Sivanandan also made history by becoming the youngest female chess player ever to beat a grandmaster. The then 10-year-old secured the win against 60-year-old GM Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool. During the event, Sivanandan also became the youngest ever to secure a WGM norm.

In 2024, the youngster became the youngest person ever to represent England internationally in any sport when she was selected for England Women's Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

Sivanandan is part of a rich crop of English talent making waves in international chess that includes Britain’s youngest grandmaster Shreyas Royal, now 17, and 12-year-old FM Supratit Banerjee, from Sutton Grammer School.

Richard Walsh, CEO of the English Chess Federation, said: "As a federation representing chess players in a country with such a great chess heritage, we can’t be prouder of Bodhana's achievements.

"She is blazing a trail not just for women and girls in the game, but for all chess players in England. Across all sports, she must be one of the most prodigious talents England has ever produced.

"We cannot wait to see what she can do in her career. Bodhana has worked so hard, her family have worked so hard, and now she is competing at the highest level flying the flag."