Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, becomes Britain's youngest female chess champion
11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan wins the women's title at the British Chess Championships, making her the youngest female champion in the country.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old from Harrow, has become Britain's youngest female chess champion after winning the women's title at the British Chess Championships. The victory marks the latest step in a rapid rise that began during the Covid lockdown, when she found a chess set at home and started playing with her father.
Sivanandan learned the rules at roughly five years old and entered her first tournament at six. She quickly progressed by watching chess.com videos and YouTube tutorials, then started competing in open tournaments where she regularly faced adult opponents. "At first I was a bit intimidated, but now because I've played a lot of adults already, it's normal for me," she said.
Speaking after her win, Sivanandan said she was pleased but already looking ahead to greater targets. "I'm happy about winning the women's championships, but I also want to, like, keep going and hopefully one day win the whole thing, the whole British Championships as well."
She also highlighted the broader benefits of chess, especially in school. "It links to subjects like maths and art and music," she said. "Because there's pattern recognition and calculation and I love that about chess."
Her trophy and cash prize from the championship were won, though she said she was not sure of the exact amount. The victory has been widely celebrated, with many observers noting her potential to become one of the country's leading chess players. She has already shown remarkable poise and talent for her age, and her next goal is the overall British title.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| Bodhana Sivanandan learned to play chess at age five and entered her first tournament at age six. | |
| Bodhana Sivanandan used online resources such as chess.com and YouTube to improve her game. | |
| Bodhana Sivanandan, aged 11, won the women's title at the British Chess Championships. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News conducted a one-on-one interview with Bodhana Sivanandan after her victory, focusing on her personal journey, her introduction to chess during Covid, and her thoughts on the sport and her ambitions. The tone was light and celebratory, highlighting her youthful enthusiasm and intelligence.
- “I'm happy about winning the women's championships, but I also want to, like, keep going and hopefully one day win the whole thing, the whole British Championships as well.”
- “I think it helps with school a lot. Like, it links to subjects like maths and art and music and I like all of those subjects as well, so it helps with that.”
- “At first I was a bit intimidated, but now because I've played a lot of adults already, it's normal for me now.”
Broadcast Timeline
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