[Ammi]

An eight-year-old British chess prodigy has been named best female player at the European rapid and blitz championship as she stunned crowds in Zagreb, Croatia at the weekend.

Bodhana Sivanandan, eight, from Harrow, north west London, won against a field of highly experienced grandmasters, international masters and reigning chess champions, and came 73rd in a round of 555 players.

In the penultimate round, Bodhana beat her first international master, the England women’s coach, Lorin D’Costa, 39. The eight-year-old also drew with the two-time Romanian champion, grandmaster Vladislav Nevednichy, 54, in the final round.

She became the youngest player to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in a competitive game.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday (20 December), Bodhana said: “I was very proud of myself when I got top girl in the European blitz.”

…full article..

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...-b2467393.html