Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, earns woman grandmaster title
At the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Bodhana Sivanandan secured her final norm for the woman grandmaster title after passing its 2300 rating threshold. The event also gave her a second International Master norm, following her first in July 2026; the higher, open-to-both-sexes title has additional requirements.
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Bodhana Sivanandan completed the requirements for the woman grandmaster (WGM) title at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, according to BBC UK. The 11-year-old from north-west London had already passed the required 2300 rating threshold; her third and final WGM norm at the event completed the other requirement. She played all 11 rounds on England’s top board and finished with eight points. FIDE confirmed the achievement.
The Olympiad also marked a step toward a different title. Sivanandan earned her first International Master (IM) norm at the Dole Open in France in July 2026 and her second in Samarkand, BBC UK reported. WGM is a women-only title, while IM is open to both sexes and ranks higher. Players normally need three qualifying norms and a rating of at least 2400 for IM, so Sivanandan has two norms; the evidence does not state her current rating. The IM title is therefore not yet established by these milestones.
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