In September 2020, Sivanandan Vilayutham was helping to clean his friend’s garage when he discovered a dusty magnetic chess set. He collected the folded brown and cream board in a bag, along with a collection of old books, and brought it home without giving it much thought. That is, until his five-year-old daughter, Budhana, found a strange figurine scattered inside. “I want the horse,” she said.
Discovery of Chess
Sivanandan named the pieces one by one before showing Budhana a video on YouTube that explained the rules of the game. “She was curious and wanted to know more,” he simply says. Three years later, Budhana ignited the world of chess.
Crowning her as the Best Female Player
On Saturday, December 14, Budhana was crowned the Best Female Player at the European Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, achieving what many consider to be the best result ever for a girl under ten years old. She scored an impressive 8.5/13 points against a diverse field of 555 players, including 48 grandmasters and 50 international masters, finishing in 73rd place overall and defeating her first international master, England women’s national team coach Lauren de Costa.
Her Remarkable Achievements
By drawing with former Romanian champion Grandmaster Vladislav Nevednichy in the final round, Budhana became the youngest player to avoid defeat against a grandmaster in competitive play – by a margin of six days when future grandmaster David Howell defeated grandmaster John Nunn at the Mind Sports Olympiad in 1999.
Comments from Professionals
Irina Bulmaga, the Romanian international player and Women’s Grandmaster who was also competing, said it was “an incredible result” and described Budhana as a “phenomenon.” Lawrence Trent, a chess commentator and international master, tweeted that she is “one of the greatest talents I have seen in recent memory,” adding, “I have no doubt she will be the greatest player in England and perhaps one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.”
Her Father’s Humility
So what does her father think of her remarkable achievement? “I haven’t celebrated yet,” he says with a wry smile on his face. “I’m happy, but the road is still very long. If I jump up and down with joy now, I think it would be a stopping point – I need to remain calm.” He speaks via Zoom from his office at his home in Harrow, northwest London. On a shelf in the background sits the folded chessboard, the Hillingdon Under-18 Chess Championship trophy – which Budhana won this year for being the best player in the competition at just eight years old – and a keyboard.
Her Motivation and Encouragement
Sivanandan believes his daughter is drawn to the royal connections of chess. “She loves royal and family stories. I think that is why she considered it exciting,” he says. There is a naive innocence in her obsession: in a video posted by the Chess Championship Tour earlier this year, Budhana can be seen at one moment playing against a group of adults across multiple boards at the same time – in what is known as simultaneous play – and in the next moment, she joyfully reveals that her favorite cup is the one she can take apart. Sivanandan: “You have to remember she is just a child and children can change completely.”
Her Training and Preparation
Budhana practices for 45 minutes to an hour after school every day, except on Tuesdays and Thursdays when she is either at chess club or playing in tournaments. On weekends, she hones her skills for up to five hours a day. She also solves puzzles in chess magazines and regularly plays on the board with her two grandmaster coaches.
Her Humility and Focus
Despite Budhana’s focus on chess, her father says that “homework and school studies are a priority. She is learning the violin at school and sometimes plays the piano. She is a curious girl who wants to learn.”
Encouragement
Encouragement
In September, Budhana became England’s first world youth chess champion in 25 years when she won the trifecta in classical, rapid, and blitz chess in Georgia. Then in December, she became the shared English women’s rapid chess champion for all age groups. However, her father says despite Budhana’s amazing achievements: “There is still much to learn.”
Humility and Focus
Since then, she has received training from John Speelman, a former world number four player, as well as other grandmasters, and she announced herself on the world stage by winning 33 games in the 2023 World Championship for girls under eight in classical, rapid, and blitz chess.
Humility and Focus
Budhana’s success brought her an audience with Rishi Sunak, who invited her to government headquarters in Downing Street earlier this year to celebrate a package of government funding to support children from disadvantaged areas in playing chess. She also met one of the Polgar sisters: Zsuzsa, whom Sivanandan described as “very collaborative.” Yet, her favorite players are two men: current world champion Magnus Carlsen and the world champion of the twenties José Raúl Capablanca – “she loves the endgame of his,” he says.
Humility and Focus
Although Budhana may later become a chess mistress, her father keeps her feet firmly on the ground. “What she has done is incredible, and I am happy for her, but before I get excited and jump for joy, I will remain calm because the road is long,” he repeats over and over. “You must remember she is just a child and children can change completely. The next goal is simple: to continue playing chess as long as she enjoys it.”
At eight years old, Budhana Sivanandan could become a chess mistress. But for now, her father keeps her feet firmly on the ground.
Source: https://www.aol.com/secrets-raising-eight-old-chess-130000802.html
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