Indian-Origin Chess Prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan Breaks 38-Year-Old Record To Secure IM Title At 11

Bodhana Sivanandan broke the 38-year-old record held by GM Judit Polgar after becoming the youngest girl in history to achieve the International Master (IM) title. A schoolgirl from Harrow, London, created history at the European Club Cup 2026 in Budva. Bodhana completed the requirements on Friday, scoring her third and final IM norm at the 30th European Club Cup for Women in Budva, Montenegro, to bag the International Master (IM) title. 

Playing for her team, she defeated her opponent to finish the tournament with a brilliant score of 5.5 out of 7. Following such an incredible performance, she pushed her official chess rating to 2406, crossing the required 2400 threshold for the title. 

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Bodhana Broke Polgar’s Record

The Indian-origin Bodhana Sivanandan claimed the IM title at just 11 years, 7 months and 16 days. With this feat, she broke the 38-year-old record of Grandmaster Judit Polgar. Legendary Polgar achieved the title at the age of 12 in 1988. Bodhana, whose family hails from Trichy in Tamil Nadu, earned all her three IM norms over a  span of three months. 

The first one arrived at the Dole Open in France in July. After defeating GM Marc'Andria Maurizzi (2628), she became the youngest girl to ever defeat a player rated above 2600 in classical chess. Meanwhile, the second came at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand in September 2026. She became the youngest player ever to complete the requirement for the WGM title after her win against England's top board. The final and the third requirement came at the  European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro. 

“A Generational Talent”

Applauding Bodhana’s feat, the ECF's Director of International Chess, IM Malcolm Pein, said, "I can only describe Bodhana as a generational talent. There was no limit to what she could achieve.” Further, he thanked her parents for supporting her journey, which has just started. "We are looking forward to Bodhana's next tournament, which will be the FIDE Swiss at the XTX market's 16th London Chess Classic”, he added. 

Bodhana is now the second-highest-rated player who was born in 2015 or later. She is behind IM Roman Shogdzhiev.

Congratulations to 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 on becoming an International Master with a final-round win at the European Women’s Chess Club Cup 2026! 👏 Bodhana delivered a fantastic performance, scoring 5.5/7 on Board 1 for She Plays to Win Lionesses 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, making her the youngest female player in history to earn the IM title!

— European Chess Union (@ECUonline) October 23, 2026

Bodhana Became Seventh-Youngest To Achieve IM Title

Across genders, Bodhana Sivanandan is now the seventh-youngest player to qualify for the IM title. She is one of the only ten players to reach this milestone before turning 12. Here is the list of the top ten players to bag the IM title.