Indian-origin chess prodigies 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan and 17-year-old Shreyas Royal made history at the 2026 British Chess Championships, both winning their respective titles.
Bodhana became Britain’s youngest-ever women’s champion after defeating Ireland’s 14-year-old Trisha Kanyamarala in a tense rapid-chess playoff in Coventry. Grandmaster Danny Gormally hailed her as “a generational talent” during his commentary for the English Chess Federation.
Bodhana discovered chess during the Covid lockdown after receiving a chessboard among belongings sent by her father’s friend. Since then, the north-west London schoolgirl has become a record-breaker, winning the UK Open Women’s Blitz and sharing the British Women’s Rapid title. Her latest classical championship win completes an impressive hat-trick at just 11.
Shreyas Royal claimed his first British title after topping the nine-round standings by half a point, further cementing his place among Britain’s leading young chess players. Born in India, Royal moved to the UK with his parents at three and became England’s youngest grandmaster at 15. The English Chess Federation had earlier worked with the Home Office to allow him to remain in Britain and pursue his chess career. Former Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who approved the family’s stay in 2018, hailed his “extraordinary” talent after his latest victory.
The 2026 British Chess Championships marked the event’s biggest edition in 122 years, attracting more than 1,750 entries and featuring a record £34,000 prize fund for the open championship.
