Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest female International Master (IM) in chess history at the age of 11 years, 7 months and 16 days, breaking a record that Hungarian legend Judit Polgar had held for 38 years, ChessBase India reported.
The schoolgirl from Harrow in London, whose family hails from Trichy in Tamil Nadu, completed the requirements for the title on Friday, October 23, 2026, scoring her third and final IM norm at the 30th European Club Cup for Women in Budva, Montenegro, according to ChessBase India and The Daily Jagran.
Source: ChessBase India
Playing on the top board for She Plays To Win Lionesses A, Bodhana went into the final round needing a win with the Black pieces against Sweden's Woman International Master Viktoria Johansson — and delivered it. The win took her to 5.5 points from seven games, and the rating points she gained in Budva lifted her from 2382 to 2406, past the 2400 mark required for the International Master title.
Polgar, widely regarded as the greatest female player of all time, had qualified for the IM title at the age of 12 in 1988. Bodhana is now also among the youngest players overall — male or female — ever to earn the title, reports said.
Three norms in three months
According to The Daily Jagran, Bodhana earned all three of her IM norms in a span of about three months: the first at the Dole Open in France in July, where she became the youngest girl ever to defeat a player rated above 2600; the second at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand in September; and the third this week in Budva.
Source: The Daily Jagran
The European Chess Union congratulated her on social media, confirming she secured the title with her final-round win and scored 5.5 out of 7 on Board 1 for her team. The England Chess Federation's Director of International Chess, Malcolm Pein, described her as a generational talent, The Daily Jagran reported.
Bodhana, who started playing chess at the age of five after coming across a chess board at home, has said her next target is the Grandmaster title. She is expected to play next at the London Chess Classic, reports said.