Since learning chess during a pandemic lockdown, Bodhana Sivanandan has won a European title in the game, qualified for this year’s prestigious Chess Olympiad tournament, and established herself as one of England’s best players.
She also turned 9 in March.
That makes Bodhana, a prodigy from the London borough of Harrow, the youngest player to represent England at such an elite level in chess, and quite possibly the youngest in any international sporting competition.
The fourth-grader, who learned chess four years ago when she stumbled across a board her father was planning to discard, knows exactly what she wants to accomplish next.
“I’m trying to become the youngest grandmaster in the world,” she said, “and also one of the greatest players of all time.”
Persons:
Sivanandan, “, ” Bodhana, “ I’m, ”
Organizations:
Olympics
Locations:
London, Harrow, England