Indian teen chess champions break records in back-to-back victories

At 10 years and 3 months old, Bodhana Sivanandan of England became the youngest player to earn a Woman Grandmaster norm after a landmark tournament performance in France on July 27. Just one day later, India’s 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, earning the Grandmaster title and national honors.

Competing at the Trophee Dole – Pasino Grand Aix in Aix-en-Provence, Sivanandan scored a 2401 performance rating by drawing a game against a Grandmaster and defeating multiple International Masters. The result secured her first Woman Grandmaster norm and a second norm toward the Woman International Master title. Sivanandan had previously dominated the World Under-8 Girls Championship in 2022 and made headlines in 2024 as the youngest player selected to represent England at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

In Batumi, Georgia, Deshmukh clinched victory over fellow Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy in the final of the FIDE Women’s World Cup after two classical games ended in draws. Her victory automatically granted her the Grandmaster title and a place in the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament. Deshmukh, now India’s 88th Grandmaster and the fourth Indian woman to hold the title, was honored with a cash prize of 30 million Indian rupees ($360,000).

Sivanandan and Deshmukh are part of a broader wave of Indian talent reshaping the global chess scene. Grandmasters such as Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh Dommaraju and Nihal Sarin have all emerged as serious contenders on the world stage before age 20. Dommaraju, in particular, recently became the youngest player to compete for the World Chess Championship, while Praggnanandhaa has earned wins over multiple world champions.

India’s chess federation has played a central role in nurturing its young talents through organized training, national competitions and financial support. American Grandmaster Hans Niemann, responding to Deshmukh’s win, praised India’s approach and criticized the lack of support in the United States. He said India “treats their players like superstars” with visible backing from both the federation and government, while American players often face institutional neglect. Niemann warned that India’s deep investment in player development could shift the global balance of power in chess within a decade.