Bodhana Sivanandan Interview: Endgames, Mindset & Rapid Rise

by Arne Kaehler
4/10/2026 – Bodhana Sivanandan comes across as an exceptionally calm, self-driven young talent whose love for chess seems to grow naturally from curiosity, beauty, and enjoyment rather than pressure or ego. In the interview, she talks about her admiration for Capablanca, her instinctive feel for endgames, and her practical approach to improvement, often learning simply by playing, spotting mistakes, and correcting them for next time. She also reflects with striking maturity on losses, fame, expectations, and long-term goals, showing that she prefers to focus on steady progress instead of forcing milestones or assumptions about the future. Overall, the conversation paints a picture of a rare chess prodigy who is already highly accomplished, yet remains grounded, thoughtful, and fully focused on becoming the best player she can be.
EXPAND YOUR CHESS HORIZONS
Data, plans, practice – the new Opening Report In ChessBase there are always attempts to show the typical plans of an opening variation. In the age of engines, chess is much more concrete than previously thought. But amateurs in particular love openings with clear plans, see the London System. In ChessBase ’26, three functions deal with the display of plans. The new opening report examines which piece moves or pawn advances are significant for each important variation. In the reference search you can now see on the board where the pieces usually go. If you start the new Monte Carlo analysis, the board also shows the most common figure paths.

Bodhana Sivanandan Interview

Endgames, Mindset & Rapid Rise

In an interview with ChessBase, Arne Kaehler meets one of the most exciting young talents in world chess, Bodhana Sivanandan, whose rapid rise and calm mindset stand out just as much as her results. She speaks about her early fascination with the game, her admiration for José Raúl Capablanca, and how studying classical games helped her appreciate creativity beyond engine evaluations.

Despite comparisons to legends like Anatoly Karpov, Bodhana remains grounded, explaining that much of her improvement comes naturally through playing, recognizing mistakes, and learning from them rather than following rigid training structures.

What makes her particularly remarkable is her composure: she treats losses as learning opportunities, does not overthink time management, and approaches her ambitious goal of becoming the best player in the world with a surprisingly relaxed attitude.

She also reflects on key milestones, including her win against Peter Wells, which she achieved without even realizing its significance at the time. Inspired by role models like Judit Polgár, Bodhana is driven not by pressure, but by pure enjoyment of the game.

Overall, the interview reveals a rare combination of talent, intuition, and emotional balance—qualities that suggest Bodhana Sivanandan is not only one of England’s brightest prospects, but a player with the potential to shape the future of chess.

EXPAND YOUR CHESS HORIZONS
Data, plans, practice – the new Opening Report In ChessBase there are always attempts to show the typical plans of an opening variation. In the age of engines, chess is much more concrete than previously thought. But amateurs in particular love openings with clear plans, see the London System. In ChessBase ’26, three functions deal with the display of plans. The new opening report examines which piece moves or pawn advances are significant for each important variation. In the reference search you can now see on the board where the pieces usually go. If you start the new Monte Carlo analysis, the board also shows the most common figure paths.

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Topics: Bodhana Sivanandan, Interview
Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.