Nikolai Nikolayevich Shalnev is a Russian chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (from 2005). He was born on February 9, 1961. His highest world chess ranking was 2425 in January 1996.
Shalnev started his chess career in the late 1970s, and he won the regional championship of the RSFSR in 1980. In the same year, he played in the semifinals of the USSR Championship, finishing 11th. He competed in several USSR and Russian championships throughout the 1980s and 90s.
For a long time, he was coached by International Master Viktor Davidenko, and together they won several prizes in USSR team championships. He achieved his Grandmaster title in 2005 and remained an active tournament player well into the 21st century.