Nine-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan to represent England at Chess Olympiad

Nine-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan from Harrow, London, is making history as the youngest person selected to represent England internationally in any sport. She will be joining the England Women’s Team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary in September, alongside teammates who are much older than her.

Bodhana’s talent for chess was discovered during the pandemic lockdown when she received a chess board as a gift. Since then, she has excelled in the game, winning the European Blitz Chess Championship in Zagreb, Croatia last December. Her remarkable skills have caught the attention of many, including Malcolm Pein, manager of the England chess team, who described her as one of the most remarkable British chess prodigies he has ever seen.

Her father, Siva Sivanandan, remains amazed by her talent, as neither he nor his wife are skilled in chess despite being engineering graduates. Bodhana’s success has also been recognized by the British government, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak inviting her and other young chess enthusiasts to 10 Downing Street to mark a major investment package for the game.

The investment package aims to support children in disadvantaged areas across England to learn and play chess, improve the visibility and availability of the game, and fund elite playing. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has committed GBP 500,000 to the English Chess Federation (ECF) over two years to develop the next generation of world-class talent. Additionally, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) will provide GBP 250,000 to install 100 new chess tables in public parks and outdoor green spaces across England.

With the government’s support and Bodhana’s exceptional talent, she is on course to become one of the best British chess players ever. Her journey to the Chess Olympiad in Budapest is not only a personal achievement but also a testament to the growing popularity and investment in chess in the UK.