Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Female International Master

On 23 October 2026, 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female International Master (IM) in chess history. She secured her third and final IM norm at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, where she defeated Swedish Woman International Master (WIM) Viktoria Johansson in the final round. Sivanandan was 11 years, seven months and 16 days old.

International Master title

The International Master title is one of the top open titles in chess, below Grandmaster. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the international governing body for chess, awards these titles under its qualification regulations. An IM norm is a qualifying performance in an eligible tournament; the title normally requires three norms and a rating of at least 2,400. Sivanandan earned her final norm while playing for She Plays To Win Lionesses A. She scored 5.5 points from seven games and recorded a rating performance of 2,465 at the event.

Chess norms and title structure

A tournament norm is based on a player’s results and the tournament’s eligibility conditions, including the strength and titles of opponents. International Master and Grandmaster are open titles, while Woman International Master and Woman Grandmaster are women’s titles. A player may earn norms towards titles through performances in qualifying competitions. Sivanandan had previously become the youngest girl to score an IM norm, before completing the requirements for the title at the European Club Cup.

Women’s chess records

Sivanandan broke the record held by Hungarian chess player Judit Polgar, who earned the IM title at age 12 in 1988. The 2026 achievement made Sivanandan the seventh-youngest IM of any gender at the time, ahead of D Gukesh and behind Javokhir Sindarov in the all-time age ranking stated for the record. Earlier in 2026, she also became the youngest Woman Grandmaster and the youngest Women’s British Chess Champion. In 2025, she became the youngest girl to defeat a Grandmaster.

Important Facts for Exams

• Fédération Internationale des Échecs is commonly known by the acronym FIDE.
• Grandmaster and International Master are open chess titles awarded by FIDE.
• Woman Grandmaster and Woman International Master are separate women’s chess titles.
• Judit Polgar is a Hungarian chess player who earned the International Master title in 1988.

The European Club Cup is a team chess competition, and its 2026 edition was held in Budva, Montenegro. Sivanandan represents a British chess team and has Indian family origins.