Natalia Pogonina
(born on March 9, 1985) is one of the best female chess players in the world, member of the Russian Olympic chess team.
Woman Grandmaster (WGM), three-times European champion (U16, twice U18), bronze prize winner at the World Championship (U18) and European Women Championship, winner of the gold medal at the 1st International Mind Sports Games, co-winner of the 2008 Student World Championship, and #1 at multiple prestigious international tournaments (2005 – Bykova Memorial, 2007 – Rudenko memorial, 2009 – Moscow Open, etc.). Olympic Chess Champion (team & individual gold medals in 2012), reigning Russian Women's Chess Champion.
Ranked as 3rd most successful female chess player in the world in 2009 by the Association of Chess Professionals.
Her current FIDE rating is over 2500 – a mark that is associated with the title of a male Grandmaster.
Other notable facts: