11-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster

Bodhana Sivanandan made chess history at just 11 years old by becoming the youngest ever woman grandmaster at the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan. The London schoolgirl had to play on a car booster seat to reach the chess board, demonstrating her determination from a young age. Her father taught her chess when she was five, and just three years later, she defeated a former British champion. afrikasportnews.co.za

Despite her international chess success, Bodhana returned to north London by Tuesday morning for a design and technology lesson at school. She now balances the pressures of being an international chess sensation with the ordinary challenges of childhood and her first term at secondary school.