Nine-year-old chess prodigy becomes youngest player to represent England in any sport

Bodhana Sivanandan is ‘one of the greatest chess talents in recent memory (Photo: No10 Crown Copyright / eyevine)

A nine-year-old chess prodigy will become the youngest player to ever representEngland on the international stage in any sport.

Bodhana Sivanandan is the newest member of England’s women’s chess team and will make her debut at the Chess Olympiad inBudapest in September.

Upon hearing the news, she said: ‘I’m so pleased to be picked for England. It’s a great honour and I’m looking forward to being part of a team.’

Bodhana, who is from London, began playing the game during the Covid-19 pandemic when she was just five and has already taken the chess world by storm.

In 2022, she won the world youth championship, England’s first winner in more than 25 years, winning a treble of titles in the classical, rapid and blitz competitions.

Bodhana is more than a decade younger than her youngest teammate, 23-year-old Lan Yao, with fellow England stars Katarzyna Toma, Jovanka Houska and Harriet Hunt in their thirties and forties.

Her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, revealed that she found out about her selection on Tuesday afternoon after coming home from school.

‘I normally don’t tell her about a tournament until a day or two before we have to pack our bags, but this one is different as there is lots to prepare,’ he said.

‘We are very happy and glad with her selection.’

Following her accomplishments in 2022, Lawrence Trent, chess commentator and international master, praised Bodhana as: ‘One of the greatest talents I’ve witnessed in recent memory.

‘The maturity of her play, her sublime touch, it’s truly breathtaking.’

Malcolm Pein, who helped select England’s team added that Bodhana was part of: ‘A golden generation of emerging talent.

‘At nine years of age, she must surely be the youngest to be selected to represent England in any international sporting competition.’

As mentioned, Bodhana is one a new generation of chess players who picked up the sport during lockdown, something that Pen attributes to the popularity of Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit.

The mini-series starring Anya Taylor-Joy was released in 2020 and tells the story of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon.

Bodhana will celebrate her call-up to the Olympiad at ChessFest this weekend in London, alongside 15,000 fellow players and fans.

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