Chess Prodigy's Historic Win: 10-Year-Old Beats World Champion

The 10-year-old from North London pulled off a stunning result on Sunday by defeating Ukraine’s former Women's champion, Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk, at the European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece.

Born in London in 2015 to parents who moved from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, she became a Woman FIDE Master in 2024. In July 2025, at age 10, she achieved the status of the youngest chess player to earn a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm; the previous record holder was Hou Yifan, who accomplished it as an 11-year-old in 2005.

On Sunday, Sivanandan added another feather to her cap by beating Mariya Muzychuk to become the youngest player to defeat the World Champion.

"She seems to be beating a GM every week now!" the English Grandmaster Danny Gormally was quoted as saying in a statement.

England’s No.1 Grandmaster David Howell called it an “incredible win.” He added: “It's not every day a 10-year-old defeats a GM (and former world champion) in such style.” Grandmaster Susan Polgar, the Women’s World Champion from 1996 to 1999, also paid tribute to Sivanandan, calling her game “impressive”.

Sivanandan is playing for the 12th-seeded team, She Plays to Win Lionesses. The team lost 3-1 in Round 1 to Turkish Airlines, but Sivanandan's point will be remembered for a long time.

The scale of the upset is highlighted by the fact that 33-year-old Muzychuk (2485), the Women’s world number 13, was rated 280 FIDE points higher than Sivanandan (2205).

Sivanandan's rise up the ranks has been incredible, and she has been breaking records for fun.

Earlier this year, the schoolgirl from Harrow, who had taken up chess during the 2020 lockdown, made history by becoming the youngest female chess player ever to beat a grandmaster.

Sivanandan secured the victory against 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, surpassing Carissa Yip's record by over six months. The win also earned her the final norm required to become a Woman International Master (WIM), making her the youngest ever to achieve that title.

Sivanandan’s victory at 10 years, five months, and three days beat the 2019 record held by American Carissa Yip, who went on to become an International Master. During the event, she also became the youngest ever to secure a WGM norm.

In 2024, the young player became the youngest person ever to represent England internationally in any sport when she was selected for the England Women's Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

Sivanandan is part of a talented group of English players making waves in international chess. Several top players have tipped her for stardom.

Gormally added: "English chess has been in the doldrums for so many years. We've had good players coming through, don't get me wrong, but we haven't had great players coming through for many years.

"And now we've suddenly got a generation with GM Shreyas Royal and Bodhana, and FM Supratit Banerjee and FM Ethan Pang and others who are actually exciting. We don't know how strong they're going to be," he added.

- IANS