Hyderabad: Eleven-year-old Indian prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has inked her name in the record books yet again. She has scripted history, becoming the youngest female player ever to qualify for the International Master (IM) title. 

The schoolgirl from Harrow, England, achieved the rare feat at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, shattering a record held by chess legend Judit Polgár since 1988. 

The English Chess Federation hailed her achievement, saying she is an exceptional talent in the sport. 

“I can only describe Bodhana as a generational talent. There was no limit to what she can achieve,” the federation’s Director of International Chess, IM Malcolm Pein, stated. 

Bodhana smashes Judit Polgar’s record 

Bodhana was only one norm away from being eligible to qualify for the International Master (IM) title. She completed it in the last round of the European Club Cup while playing against Sweden’s Woman International Master Viktoria Johansson.

She achieved the feat at the age of 11 years and seven months and surpassed Polgar, who achieved the feat at the age of 12 in 1988. 

How can a player qualify for the IM title?

To qualify for the IM title, players need to produce three tournament performances as norms and a FIDE rating of at least 2400. The title is open to both men and women and ranks just below Grandmaster, the highest title in chess. 

Bodhana’s remarkable rise in chess career 

Bodhana has completed several major achievements recently. Last month, she became eligible to clinch the women's Grandmaster title after scoring eight points from 11 matches at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 

Her progress in the world of chess has been rapid. Just at the age of nine, she became the youngest person ever to represent England internationally in any sport. In August, she emerged triumphant in the British Women’s Chess Championships