8-Year-Old British Sensation Stuns Chess World In Euro Blitz
British chess prodigy WCM Bodhana Sivanandan continues her remarkable chess journey with a sensational result in the European Blitz Championship where she won the prize for the best woman player.
In late October, the eight-year-old prodigy made headlines by becoming England's first world youth champion in 25 years when she achieved the historic triple crown by winning titles in classical, rapid, and blitz. It was a stunning achievement showcasing her exceptional talent and prowess in chess.
Her chess journey extended to the European Rapid & Blitz Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, which concluded on Saturday with gold medals for GM Alexey Sarana and GM David Navara respectively. (More on that later in a separate report.)
Bodhana delivered an outstanding 5/11 result with a 2056 performance in the rapid, but it was her performance in the 13-round blitz tournament that captured the attention of fellow players.
A total of 555 players participated in the event, among them 48 GMs and 50 IMs. Sivanandan finished in an incredible 73rd place with 8.5 points and scored a rating performance of 2316. The eight-year-old placed ahead of several grandmasters and other established masters. In the 12 rounds she played, Bodhana beat one IM and one FM.
Most of her games from the event are unfortunately not available. However, because her final-round draw against GM Vladislav Nevednichy was broadcast, it can be presented in this report.
Her outstanding result earned her a prize for the best woman player, prompting Romanian IM Irina Bulmaga to express her admiration on X/Twitter. "What a phenomenon she is," she wrote, noting that Bodhana took the woman prize ahead of her.
Unbelievable result by 8 yo girl- Bodhana, who held a draw in the last round of the European Blitz Championship to score 8,5p/ 13, winning the 1st prize among women ahead of me and a bunch of other experienced players! What a phenomenon she is! @ECUonline#chess #WomenInChess pic.twitter.com/jpezeVhwo5
— Irina Bulmaga (@IrinaBulmaga) December 16, 2023
The English Chess Federation wrote: "Well done Bodhana. A terrific performance."
Bodhana has been making waves in the English chess scene since the age of seven. She remarkably won the 2022 UK Women's Blitz Championship, breaking the age record by more than four years. The feat earned her praise from The Guardian's legendary chess columnist Leonard Barden.
"She has a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to blitz chess, where her preferred approach is to play the first 20 or so moves fast, establish a lead on the clock and a slight edge on the board, swap queens to favour her endgame skills, and then win on position or time," he wrote.
Meet the incredible young chess talent, Bodhana Sivanandan.
— Champions Chess Tour (@ChampChessTour) May 24, 2023
Last year, at only 7 years old, Bodhana achieved an incredible feat in the chess world. She made history by becoming the youngest player ever to share 2nd place in the UK Women's Blitz Chess Championship!
Bodhana's… pic.twitter.com/OX91DvWC7h
This week, prominent chess commentator IM Lawrence Trent went even further, describing her as "one of the greatest talents I've witnessed" and sharing his admiration on X/Twitter this way: "Bodhana Sivanandan is one of the greatest talents I've witnessed in recent memory. The maturity of her play, her sublime touch, it's truly breathtaking. I have no doubt she will be England's greatest player and most likely one of the greatest the game has ever seen."
The maturity of her play, her sublime touch, it's truly breathtaking.
—Lawrence Trent
The young girl also captivated thousands of chess fans in the Chess.com-produced video where Sivanandan met with 79-year-old former British Chess Champion FM Peter Lee.
Bodhana is currently the world's third highest-rated player born in 2015 in classical chess and the second highest in blitz. She is an ambassador for ChessKid, along with her compatriot, 14-year-old IM Shreyas Royal, who recently scored his second GM norm.
Tarjei J. Svensen is a Norwegian chess journalist who worked for some of the country's biggest media outlets and appeared on several national TV broadcasts. Between 2015 and 2019, he ran his chess website mattogpatt.no, covering chess news in Norwegian and partly in English.
In 2020, he was hired by Chess24 to cover chess news, eventually moving to Chess.com as a full-time chess journalist in 2023. He is also known for his extensive coverage of chess news on his X/Twitter account.
