Reynaldo Vera González-Quevedo (b. March 27, 1961 in Las Tunas) is a Cuban chess player with a Grandmaster title. Vera has been an active contributor to Cuban chess for over 30 years in various roles such as playing, teaching and coaching.
His involvement in the chess circle began in 1974 and he was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1988. Vera has participated multiple times in the Chess Olympiads from 1978 to 2004, where in his final appearance he played in the Cuban team which finished second, earning individual and team medals in the process. He has also won the Cuban Championships in 1997 and 2001.
Vera has extended his horizons beyond playing. He worked part-time as a coach for the Cuban women team in 1990-96 and later in 2012, before taking up the role full-time since 2017. He is also a well-known journalist and writer, having authored books on numerous aspects of chess. He initiated a chess column in a Cuban newspaper and founded the first Cuban chess magazine, Jaque Mate. Vera has also collaborated with various organizations to support chess, including television channels and chess software. Once hired by FIDE, he contributed in organising the World Chess Championship.
Despite his continuous contributions, Vera largely remains a controversial figure. While his dedication to the chess is unquestioned, his methods have been criticized. He has been accused of influence-peddling, accepting illegal payments, and other actions that some feel contradict the ethics of the game. Despite these controversies, his impact on the growth and eventually the popularity of chess in Cuba remains significant.