Bodhana Sivanandan, a nine-year-old chess prodigy from Harrow, London, is set to become the youngest person ever to represent England in any sport. She will join the England Women’s Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary later this year, being nearly 15 years younger than her next-youngest teammate, 23-year-old Lan Yao.
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Bodhana's talent was discovered during the pandemic when she found a chessboard her father had planned to discard. "There was a chess board, and I was interested in the pieces so I started playing," she said. Her skills developed rapidly, and two years ago, she won all three under-eight world championships in classical, rapid, and blitz chess.
Malcolm Pein, manager of the England chess team, calls her the most remarkable prodigy in British chess history. "She’s on course to be one of the best British players ever," he said. Despite her success, Bodhana’s father, Siva, is amazed by her talent, as neither he nor his wife excel at chess.
Bodhana practices for at least an hour daily and spends weekends at tournaments. Her goal is to become the youngest grandmaster, aiming to achieve the title by age 10, beating the current record of 12 years.
The surge in young chess talent, influenced by lockdowns and the popular Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, has brought a new wave of interest to the game. Mr. Pein is confident in Bodhana’s future, believing she will reach her ambitious goals.
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