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She's 11 Years Old and Britain's Top Female Chess Player - The Rise of Bodhana Sivanandan

By ChessGrandMonkey3 min read

The FIDE April 2026 rating list dropped this week, and the biggest story isn't at the top of the list. It's further down, where an 11-year-old from north London just rewrote the record books.

Bodhana Sivanandan now sits at 2366 FIDE classical rating. That makes her England's number one female chess player, the 72nd-ranked woman in the world, and the eighth-ranked girl globally. She's 11.

From a Bag Headed for the Bin to the Top of English Women's Chess

Bodhana's origin story sounds almost too good to be true. During lockdown, her father was clearing out old belongings and was about to throw away a bag. Inside it: a chess set. Bodhana found it, started playing, and the rest has been a series of broken records.

She earned the title of Woman International Master in 2025. Last August, at age 10, she became the youngest female player in history to beat a grandmaster when she defeated GM Peter Wells at the British Chess Championships in Liverpool. A few months later, she beat former Women's World Championship holder GM Mariya Muzychuk at the European Club Cup in Rhodes.

Her latest surge came at the 39th Festival International des Jeux de Cannes, where she gained 98 rating points in a single tournament. Combined with strong results in Austria and the 4NCL (Britain's top chess league), the April list now shows her at 2366, leapfrogging 25-year-old four-time British Women's Champion Lan Yao.

What Does a 2366 Rating Actually Mean?

If you're not sure where 2366 sits in the chess world, it's firmly in the "expert turning master" range. To put it in perspective:

  • It's roughly the top 0.5% of all rated players worldwide
  • It's higher than many adult titled players ever reach
  • At 11 years old, it means she's improving at a rate that puts her on track for the Grandmaster title within a few years

Curious where your own rating stacks up? Check our chess rating percentile calculator to see how you compare to the global player pool.

Also on the April Rating List: Abdusattorov Hits World Number 4

The FIDE April list had other noteworthy moves. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov climbed to world number four after winning the Prague International Festival, posting a personal best of 2780. The 21-year-old Uzbek - who won the Rapid World Championship at age 17 - continues his steady march toward the very top.

Abdusattorov is currently playing in the Grenke Chess Festival in Karlsruhe alongside Magnus Carlsen, Vincent Keymer, and a field of 14 players rated above 2700. The tournament runs April 2-6 and is the first open event to award Freestyle Chess World Championship qualifying spots.

Meanwhile, the Candidates Continue

While the chess world watches prodigies rise, the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus is on a rest day. When play resumes on April 3, 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov will defend his remarkable sole lead of 3.5/4 against Hikaru Nakamura with the Black pieces.

It's a good time for chess prodigies, it seems. Sindarov is 20 and leading the Candidates. Bodhana is 11 and topping the English women's ratings. Abdusattorov is 21 and world number four.

Want to Improve Your Own Rating?

Whether you're inspired by Bodhana's rise or just want to climb the ladder yourself, the best way to improve is consistent play and study.

Play rated games and track your progress on Chess.com - see how you stack up against millions of players worldwide.Play on Chess.com

And if you want to see exactly what percentile your rating puts you in, try our tools:

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