Bodhana ranked 73rd in the tournament with 555 participants. Some chess players who have already had success at an international level also participated in the quick and easy tournament.
Among others, Bodhana defeated international champion Lorin D’Costa (39) from England. He drew with two-time Romanian champion and grandmaster Vladislav Nevednić (54) in the final round, becoming the youngest player to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in an official match.
She was awarded the U12 title and the best English player award at the tournament, but as the tournament had a “one trophy per player” rule, she opted for the best female award. Her tournament score of 2316 was on par with women’s majors.
The president of the English Chess Federation, Dominic Lawson, described the result of the student from north-west London as extraordinary, but not surprising as Bodhana is a chess phenomenon.
Bodhana’s father, Sivanandan Velayutham, told BBC Radio that his daughter started playing chess at age 5 during the coronavirus pandemic, when she found a chessboard and pieces in a bag given to her by a friend.
“He’s doing his best. In this tournament, he invented it. He came to chess by chance. He was interested, so I started taking him around the English Chess Federation and other people who play and support chess in England. They were very friendly and supportive,” the father said.
When asked if she went into the tournament with a winning mentality, Bodhana herself said, “I always try my best to win all the tournaments and matches. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Lawson added: “This is an extraordinary achievement for an 8-year-old and certainly something we have never seen before in this country. He has an extraordinarily mature playing style: strategic and patient.”
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2023-12-24 05:20:00
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