WFM Bodhana Sivanandan continued her rise in the chess world on Sunday by becoming the youngest player ever to achieve a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm, at just 10 years old. The historic feat came at the Dole Trophy 2025, held from July 19-27 in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Indian GM Iniyan P won the nine-round event ahead of 38 grandmasters after defeating GM Jan Malek from Poland 1.5-0.5 in a rapid playoff. 17-year-old Malek had previously taken down top seed GM Pavel Eljanov in the final round, leading to a tie for first with 7.5/9, but the Indian GM prevailed in the playoff.
Another standout performance came by 20-year-old IM Leya Garifullina, who defeated five strong grandmasters to finish fifth with 7/9 points. The Russian 20-year-old achieved her first GM norm and joins the race to become the world’s 45th female grandmaster, after GMs Divya Deshmukh and Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Dole Trophy 2025: Final Standings
| # | Name | Rating | FED | Score | |
| 1 | GM | Malek Jan | 2499 | 7.5 | |
| 2 | GM | Iniyan Pa | 2558 | 7.5 | |
| 3 | GM | Eljanov Pavel | 2675 | 7 | |
| 4 | GM | Mendonca Leon Luke | 2603 | 7 | |
| 5 | IM | Garifullina Leya | 2450 | 7 | |
| 6 | GM | Peng Xiongjian | 2520 | 7 | |
| 7 | IM | Seemann Jakub | 2451 | 6.5 | |
| 8 | GM | Van Foreest Jorden | 2698 | 6.5 | |
| 9 | IM | Costa Leonardo | 2528 | 6.5 | |
| 10 | IM | Mardov Dimitar | 2506 | 6.5 | |
| 11 | GM | Grandelius Nils | 2642 | 6.5 | |
| 12 | GM | Jacobson Brandon | 2569 | 6.5 | |
| 13 | GM | Suleymanli Aydin | 2607 | 6.5 | |
| 14 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2566 | 6.5 | |
| 15 | GM | Madaminov Mukhiddin | 2553 | 6.5 |
However, this story is about the achievement of a 10-year-old from London, whose rating of 2087 only ranked her 273rd among the 276 players in the top group. The prodigy defied expectations and placed 127th, scoring 4.5/9.
What were you doing at 10 years old?? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FaA7y7Ll5u
— Chess.com (@chesscom) July 27, 2025
With a performance rating of 2401, Sivanandan secured her first WGM norm and picked up 129 rating points, taking her above the 2200 rating barrier for the first time on an official list. According to Women’s Chess Coverage on X, that makes her the youngest to score a WGM norm, breaking a record set by GM Hou Yifan as an 11-year-old in 2005.
It was an exceptional performance by Bodhana, who faced one grandmaster and five international masters during the tournament. She defeated IM Nikola Kanov (2447) and made draws against IM Antoine Bournel (2434) and GM Ortik Nigmatov (2488).
None of Bodhana’s games from the tournament are available, but the final moments of her clash with Nigmatov were captured by ChessBase India.
Bodhana is now well on pace to achieve the WIM title, having secured two of the three required norms and the 2200 rating. That means Bodhana, who turned 10 in March, also could break GM Zhansaya Abdumalik‘s record as the youngest to earn the title. The Kazakh earned the title at 11 years and five months in 2011.
Her latest success is just the latest in an impressive series of accomplishments. In 2023, she became England’s first World Youth Chess Champion in 25 years, winning a historic triple gold medal with a perfect 33/33 score across three formats.
She later made headlines again by sensationally winning the women’s prize in the European Women’s Blitz Championship, beating an IM and drawing a GM along the way.
Last year, Bodhana was also given a masterclass by none other than GM Judit Polgar, in which the Hungarian legend welcomed her to a day of chess lessons and mentorship, a meeting that was covered by Chess.com in a mini-documentary. “I want to become a world champion and one of the greatest players in the world,” she said in the video.
I want to become a world champion and one of the greatest players in the world.
—Bodhana Sivanandan
Bodhana is set to compete again in the British Women’s Championship, which begins in Liverpool on Thursday.
