London, Oct 20: British chess prodigy of Indian origin, Bodhana Sivanandan, has achieved yet another remarkable feat, becoming one of the youngest players ever to defeat a former world champion. The youngster accomplished this during the European Club Cup in Greece.
The 10-year-old from North London pulled off a stunning result on Sunday by defeating Ukraine’s former Women’s champion, Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk, at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece.
Born in London in 2015 to parents who moved from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, she became a Woman FIDE Master in 2024. In July 2025, at age 10, she achieved the status of the youngest chess player to earn a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm; the previous record holder was Hou Yifan, who accomplished it as an 11-year-old in 2005.
On Sunday, Sivanandan added another feather to her cap by beating Mariya Muzychuk to become the youngest player to defeat the World Champion
“She seems to be beating a GM every week now!” the English Grandmaster Danny Gormally was quoted as saying in a statement.
England’s No.1 Grandmaster David Howell called it an “incredible win.” He added: “It’s not every day a 10-year-old defeats a GM (and former world champion) in such style.” Grandmaster Susan Polgar, the Women’s World Champion from 1996 to 1999, also paid tribute to Sivanandan, calling her game “impressive”.
Sivanandan is playing for the 12th-seeded team, She Plays to Win Lionesses. The team lost 3-1 in Round 1 to Turkish Airlines, but Sivanandan’s point will be remembered for a long time.
The scale of the upset is highlighted by the fact that 33-year-old Muzychuk (2485), the Women’s world number 13, was rated 280 FIDE points higher than Sivanandan (2205). (IANS)
