Aug 13, 2025: Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old Indo-British chess prodigy, defeated Grandmaster Peter Wells, 60, in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, in a stunning display of youthful brilliance and strategic mastery.

She beat the previous record, which had been held by American Carissa Yip since 2019 (10 years, 11 months, and 20 days), with her victory at 10 years, 5 months, and 3 days. The teen was praised by chess legend Susan Polgar for her historic accomplishment. "In the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships, Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest girl to defeat a GM. She was just 10 years old, 5 months and 3 days old. IM Carissa Yip held the previous record, she wrote in her post. Bodhana's family is from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. In 2007, her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, and his family moved to London. Bodhana began to play chess at the age of five.

The young prodigy's remarkable victory not only represents a significant personal accomplishment, but it also establishes a new standard for young talent in the competitive chess world.