Bodhana Sivanandan becomes youngest female International Master at 11, breaks Judit Polgar’s record

File Image: Bodhana Sivanandan holds three Guinness World Records and was the youngest player to achieve the Woman Grandmaster title. | Photo Credit: PTI

Eleven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan has become the youngest female International Master (IM) in chess history, surpassing the longstanding record held by Hungarian great Judit Polgar.

The England chess prodigy, whose family hails from Tamil Nadu, secured her third and final IM norm at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, on Friday.

At 11 years, seven months and 16 days, Bodhana also became the seventh-youngest International Master across both men’s and women’s chess.

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The achievement comes less than a month after she became the youngest-ever Woman Grandmaster (WGM) at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where she represented England on the top board and scored eight points from 11 rounds.

Bodhana earned her first IM norm at the Dole Open in France in July, where she defeated French Grandmaster Marc’Andria Maurizzi, rated 2628

Her second IM norm was achieved at the Chess Olympiad in September.

Earlier this year, she also became the youngest winner of the British Women’s Chess Championship, adding another milestone to her career.