London, Oct 20 (NationPress) The British chess sensation of Indian descent, Bodhana Sivanandan, has made headlines once again by becoming one of the youngest players in history to triumph over a former world champion. This incredible achievement took place at the European Club Cup in Greece.

The 10-year-old prodigy from North London pulled off a remarkable victory on Sunday, defeating Ukraine’s former Women's champion, Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk, during the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece.

Born in London in 2015 to parents who emigrated from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, she became a Woman FIDE Master in 2024. In July 2025, at just 10 years old, she set a new record as the youngest chess player to earn a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm, breaking the previous record held by Hou Yifan, who achieved this feat at age 11 in 2005.

On Sunday, Sivanandan added another accolade to her growing list by defeating Muzychuk, thus becoming the youngest player to defeat a World Champion.

“She seems to be beating a GM every week now!” remarked English Grandmaster Danny Gormally in a statement.

England’s top Grandmaster David Howell described it as an “incredible win,” noting, “It's not every day a 10-year-old defeats a GM (and former world champion) in such style.” Grandmaster Susan Polgar, who was the Women’s World Champion from 1996 to 1999, also praised Sivanandan, referring to her game as “impressive.”

Sivanandan is competing for the 12th-seeded team, She Plays to Win Lionesses. Although the team lost 3-1 in Round 1 to Turkish Airlines, Sivanandan's victory will be remembered for years to come.

The magnitude of her upset is underscored by the fact that 33-year-old Muzychuk (2485), the Women’s world number 13, was rated 280 FIDE points higher than Sivanandan (2205).

Sivanandan's ascent in the chess world has been phenomenal, and she continues to break records at an astonishing rate.

Earlier this year, the schoolgirl from Harrow, who began playing chess during the 2020 lockdown, made history by becoming the youngest female chess player to defeat a grandmaster.

She secured victory against 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, surpassing Carissa Yip's record by over six months. This win also granted her the final norm required to become a Woman International Master (WIM), making her the youngest to achieve that title.

Sivanandan’s victory at the age of 10 years, five months, and three days surpassed the 2019 record held by American Carissa Yip, who later became an International Master. During that event, she also became the youngest to secure a WGM norm.

In 2024, she became the youngest individual to represent England internationally in any sport when selected for the England Women's Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

Sivanandan is among a talented group of English players making significant strides in international chess. Many top players have predicted a bright future for her.

Gormally noted, “English chess has been in the doldrums for so many years. We’ve had good players emerging, but we haven’t seen great talents for many years. Now we have a generation with GM Shreyas Royal, Bodhana, FM Supratit Banerjee, FM Ethan Pang, and others who are genuinely exciting. We’re yet to see how strong they will become.”