Rishi Sunak congratulates Indian-origin chess player, 11, on England's top rank

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has congratulated chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan after she became England's top-ranked female player at just 11.

In a post on X, Sunak shared a picture with the Indian-origin player, saying that her achievement did not come as a surprise to him. He also recalled that both of them had once played a game together in the Downing Street garden.

"Huge congratulations to Bodhana Sivanandan on becoming England's top female chess player at just 11 years old. We once played each other in the Downing Street garden. Let's just say her success has not come as a shock," Sunak said in the caption of his post.

The North London-based player has climbed rapidly up the rankings following a strong start to 2026. With consistent performances across international tournaments and domestic competitions, Bodhana has surged past established names to claim the top spot among English women.

She now holds a higher rating than leading women players across other UK nations and has also entered the world's top 100 for the first time, currently placed at No. 72, English Chess Federation reports.

In the April rankings, Sivanandan moved past four-time British Women's Champion Lan Yao, 25, to emerge as the English federation's top-ranked female player.

Bodhana Sivanandan was born in London on March 7, 2015, to parents who had relocated to the United Kingdom from Tiruchirappalli in 2007.

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