England's 11-year-old chess player, Bodhana Sivanandan, set a new world age record last Saturday by achieving her first international master (IM) result at the Dole Trophy in Aix-en-Provence, France. This achievement makes her the youngest girl ever to reach an IM result.
Sivanandan's performance at the Dole Trophy saw her surpass the record previously held by Judit Polgar, who achieved her first IM norm at 11 years and nine months in April 1988. Sivanandan beat Polgar's age record by nearly five months.
During the tournament, Sivanandan also met the 2400 requirement for her second women's grandmaster (WGM) norm. She competed against strong opposition, including grandmasters and international masters, and her final game was a six-hour draw against US international master Samrug Narayanan.