8-Year-Old Chess Prodigy Wins Title At European Championships (bbc.com) 10
Eight-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan from London has been crowned best female chess player at the European blitz championships, scoring 8.5/13 at the event and drawing with a grandmaster in a result described as "unbelievable." The BBC reports: The chess prodigy, who began playing aged five, said she was "proud" of her performance over the weekend. The tournament was held at the blitz time control -- a quick form of chess where players have just minutes on their clocks for their moves. Bodhana's opponents included grandmasters - the highest title given to the world's strongest players -- international masters and experts.
"I always try my best to win, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't," Bodhana told BBC Radio 4's Today program. "I was very proud of myself when I got top girl in the European blitz." Asked if she gets nervous, she replied: "No, I just play the board."
British International Master and commentator Lawrence Trent described Bodhana as "one of the greatest talents I've witnessed in recent memory." "The maturity of her play, her sublime touch, it's truly breath taking," he wrote on X. "I have no doubt she will be England's greatest player and most likely one of the greatest the game has ever seen," Mr Trent added. Bodhana will next compete at the International Chess Congress in Hastings, one of the world's longest running tournaments, on December 28.
"I always try my best to win, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't," Bodhana told BBC Radio 4's Today program. "I was very proud of myself when I got top girl in the European blitz." Asked if she gets nervous, she replied: "No, I just play the board."
British International Master and commentator Lawrence Trent described Bodhana as "one of the greatest talents I've witnessed in recent memory." "The maturity of her play, her sublime touch, it's truly breath taking," he wrote on X. "I have no doubt she will be England's greatest player and most likely one of the greatest the game has ever seen," Mr Trent added. Bodhana will next compete at the International Chess Congress in Hastings, one of the world's longest running tournaments, on December 28.
Awesome (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Awesome (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
"best female chess player at the European blitz championships"
Out of curiosity, how many females were competing?
Re: (Score:2)
Out of curiosity, how many females were competing?
Not sure. Here is the starting field [chess-results.com] It's littered with GMs and IMs. For an 8 year-old of any gender to finish as high as she did is amazing.
Re: (Score:2)
Out of curiosity, how many females were competing?
Not actually relevant. If there was only one other one playing and that one was a grandmaster and she tied with that person it would still be a phenomenal achievement.
Re: (Score:2)
Not actually relevant. If there was only one other one playing and that one was a grandmaster and she tied with that person it would still be a phenomenal achievement.
Are you saying that beyond some point of "phenomenal achievement", any higher achievement is "irrelevant"? That makes little sense.
Is the fact that this hypothetical female opponent was a grandmaster actually irrelevant too? What if she was just a WGM, and not an actual GM? Would it not still be an achievement? Who are you to gateway what is 'relevant' as an achievement?
This girl could be the next Judit Polgár, who was once not just the best woman, but the youngest grandmaster overall. And you want
Not sure "prodigy" is needed in (Score:1)
the tite.
chess rectal computing (Score:1)
Those rectal computers for chess are truly impressive.
Female? (Score:1)
Why is sex relevant? Are there separate competitions for each sex? Does one sex have an advantage somehow? Why is it of note?