London: Two young Indian-origin chess players have made history by showcasing their talent in Britain. 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan and 17-year-old Shreyas Royal achieved the distinction by winning their respective titles at the 2026 British Chess Championship.
Bodhana set a record for becoming Britain’s youngest female chess champion at the tournament, which concluded in Coventry on Sunday. Shreyas claimed his first British chess title after finishing on top after nine rounds of competition.
Bodhana wins thrilling rapid playoff
Bodhana Sivanandan faced a challenge from 14-year-old Trisha Kanyamarala of Ireland for the title. Bodhana won a thrilling rapid chess playoff to become the British Women’s Champion.
During the match, the spectators were seen cheering him on, affectionately calling him “Godhna.” Grandmaster Danny Gormley, commentating for the English Chess Federation, praised his talent after his victory.
The journey of chess started during the lockdown
Bodhana first started playing chess during the lockdown imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A friend of her father’s was returning to India and left some belongings with her family, including a chess board.
Fascinated by the chess pieces, Bodhna began playing and quickly established herself in the game. This schoolgirl from northwest London now holds numerous records.
In the rapid formats, she had already become the UK Open Women’s Blitz Champion and joint British Women’s Rapid Champion. Winning the British title in classical chess completed a hat-trick of impressive achievements.
Bodhna’s only defeat in this championship came against Shreyas Royal in the sixth round.
Shreyas Royal took the top spot after nine rounds.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Shreyas Royal claimed the British title after nine rounds, finishing on top of the points table, edging out England’s experienced Grandmasters by half a point.
This is Shreyas’ first British title, and with this win, he has further cemented his position as a world-class emerging chess talent.
Shreyas had previously achieved the feat of becoming England’s youngest Grandmaster. At the time, he had given a message to young players: no matter how difficult the circumstances, they should keep trying.
Shreyas arrived in Britain from India at the age of three.
Born in India, Shreyas Royal moved to the UK from Bengaluru at the age of just three with his parents Jitendra and Anju Singh.
About eight years ago, the English Chess Federation made a special request to the Home Office to give this exceptionally talented player the opportunity to stay in Britain and develop his chess talent.
Former Home Secretary Sajid Javid also expressed his happiness on social media over Shreyas’s victory. He said that while he was Home Secretary in 2018, he had decided to allow Shreyas and his family to stay in the UK and that it was heartening to see his talent flourish.
More than 1,750 players participated
The 2026 British Chess Championship was billed as the largest event in its 122-year history. Over 1,750 players took part in the competition.
This time a record prize money of £34,000 was announced for the Open Championship.
This historic success by two young players of Indian origin has further strengthened their growing recognition in British chess.