Bodhana Breaks ANOTHER Record!
By Cameron W. · Sat, 24 Oct 2026
Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, Becomes the Youngest Female International Master in History, Ending a 38-Year-Old Record Held by Judit Polgar.
Some records stand for so long that they start to feel like part of the furniture. Judit Polgar's was one of them. On Friday, in the last round of the European Club Cup in Budva, 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan took it down. She beat Sweden's WIM Viktoria Johansson with the black pieces, completed her final norm and became the youngest woman ever to meet the requirements for the International Master title.
The record, and what it replaces
Polgar earned her IM title in 1988 at the age of 12. Sivanandan did it at 11 years and 7 months, according to the English Chess Federation, which put out the news. Chess.com's research places her as the seventh-youngest player of either gender to reach the title, and one of only ten to do it before turning 12. Malcolm Pein, the ECF's director of international chess, called her a generational talent.
One note on wording. The reports describe her as having qualified for, or fulfilled the requirements for, the title. The formal award comes through FIDE, and the sources reviewed do not say whether it has been confirmed yet.
Three norms in three months
The speed of it is the remarkable part. Her first IM norm came at the Dole Open in France in July, where she scored 5/9 and became the youngest girl to make one. The second arrived at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand in September. She played every round on England's top board, scored 8/11 and clinched the norm with a last-round win over WGM Janelle Mae Frayna. The same performance also gave her a final Woman Grandmaster norm, which makes her the youngest player to meet that standard. Her WGM title is still awaiting approval.
The third norm came in Budva, playing board one for She Plays To Win Lionesses A. She lost to GM Aleksandra Goryachkina in round one, then won against WFM Sri Darshini T and IM Olga Badelka, drew an 85-move game with GM Nino Batsiashvili, and beat FM Ena Cvitan and Arina Budiak before the Johansson game. That made 5.5/7 and a performance rating of about 2465. Her rating also moved above the 2400 mark that the title requires, and ETV Bharat lists it at 2406.
A year that keeps getting bigger
This sits on top of a season that would have been a career for most players. In August she became the youngest British Women's Champion, and in July she became the youngest girl to beat a grandmaster rated over 2600. Back in 2023, at eight, she was England's first world youth champion in 25 years, winning the girls' under-8 titles in classical, rapid and blitz.
Her coach since January, GM Mert Erdogdu, is quoted by Chess.com saying her progress was inevitable because she loves the game and works hard. He calls the IM title a stepping stone. She trains with him four times a week and also works with GM John Emms.
What she wants next
Sivanandan herself is already looking up the ladder. "I'm happy about that but hopefully I'm able to get grandmaster soon as well!" she said. She would need three GM norms and a 2500 rating to get there, and on the current pace nobody who has followed her season would bet against it.
