London, Bodhana Sivanandan, a nine-year-old schoolgirl of Indian origin, is set to make chess history after becoming the youngest person selected to represent England internationally in any sport.
Bodhana, from Harrow, north-west London, will join the England women's team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, in September. The other members of her team are between 20, 30 and 40 years old.
"I found out yesterday, after coming home from school, when my father told me. I was happy. I hope to do well and get another degree," she told the BBC on Wednesday.
Malcolm Pein, director of the England chess team, described the schoolgirl as one of the most remarkable British chess prodigies he had ever seen.
"She's exciting: she's on her way to becoming one of the greatest British players of all time," he said.
Her father, Siva Sivanandan, says he remains baffled about where her daughter got her talent.
"I am an engineering graduate, as is my wife, but I am not good at chess," he said.
Bodhana first learned chess during the pandemic lockdown, when Siva's friend was returning to India and gave him some bags that also had a chess board.
"I was interested in the pieces, so I started playing," she recalls.
Last December, Sivanandan won the European Blitz Chess Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, and was called "super talented" at the time.
Soon after, she was among a group of young chess enthusiasts invited by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to 10 Downing Street to mark the government's major new £1 million investment package for the game.
The package has since been rolled out to help children attending schools in deprived areas of England learn and play chess, improve the visibility and availability of the game and fund elite play.
As part of the package, the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it would invest £500,000 in the English Chess Federation (ECF) over two years to develop the next generation of world-class talent. The funds will support expert training, training camps and cutting-edge computer analysis for international events to help current grandmasters and up-and-coming players.
In addition to the committed support for elite players, the Department for Levelling, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) will provide £250,000 to 85 local authorities across England to install 100 new chess tables in public parks and outdoor green spaces to allow let more people play. connect, cope with loneliness and develop problem-solving skills.
In addition, the outgoing Sunak-led government set out plans to encourage more primary school children, particularly girls, to learn to play.
The UK Department of Education offered grants of up to £2,000 to at least 100 schools in disadvantaged areas across England, subject to interest.
Bodhana, from Harrow, north-west London, will join the England women's team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, in September. The other members of her team are between 20, 30 and 40 years old.
"I found out yesterday, after coming home from school, when my father told me. I was happy. I hope to do well and get another degree," she told the BBC on Wednesday.
Malcolm Pein, director of the England chess team, described the schoolgirl as one of the most remarkable British chess prodigies he had ever seen.
"She's exciting: she's on her way to becoming one of the greatest British players of all time," he said.
Her father, Siva Sivanandan, says he remains baffled about where her daughter got her talent.
"I am an engineering graduate, as is my wife, but I am not good at chess," he said.
Bodhana first learned chess during the pandemic lockdown, when Siva's friend was returning to India and gave him some bags that also had a chess board.
"I was interested in the pieces, so I started playing," she recalls.
Last December, Sivanandan won the European Blitz Chess Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, and was called "super talented" at the time.
Soon after, she was among a group of young chess enthusiasts invited by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to 10 Downing Street to mark the government's major new £1 million investment package for the game.
The package has since been rolled out to help children attending schools in deprived areas of England learn and play chess, improve the visibility and availability of the game and fund elite play.
As part of the package, the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it would invest £500,000 in the English Chess Federation (ECF) over two years to develop the next generation of world-class talent. The funds will support expert training, training camps and cutting-edge computer analysis for international events to help current grandmasters and up-and-coming players.
In addition to the committed support for elite players, the Department for Levelling, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) will provide £250,000 to 85 local authorities across England to install 100 new chess tables in public parks and outdoor green spaces to allow let more people play. connect, cope with loneliness and develop problem-solving skills.
In addition, the outgoing Sunak-led government set out plans to encourage more primary school children, particularly girls, to learn to play.
The UK Department of Education offered grants of up to £2,000 to at least 100 schools in disadvantaged areas across England, subject to interest.
