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| Full name | Vera Nebolsina |
|---|---|
| Country | Russia |
| Born | 16 December 1989 Tomsk, Soviet Union |
| Title | Woman Grandmaster (WGM) |
| Peak rating | 2388 (January 2011) |
Vera Nebolsina (born 16 December 1989, in Tomsk) is a Russian chess player. She earned the title Woman Grandmaster (WGM) at age 17 in 2007.
Nebolsina was raised near Tomsk in western Siberia, and her family currently resides in Novosibirsk. When only four years old, she learned the basic moves from her mother Tatiana, who introduced her to other board games too, such as draughts and Go. Inspired to develop her chess skills further, she was then coached by her father Valery, himself a chess master. By age six Nebolsina was playing in formal tournaments. Comfortably forging ahead of her peers, she regularly played in categories above her age group. This accelerated her progress and subsequent successes included winning the Russian Girls (under 8) Championship (at 7 years), and the World Youth Championship for Girls (under 10) in Oropesa del Mar 1998 (at 8 years).
By the time she was twelve years old, Nebolsina was playing the Russian Women's 1st league - a high standard of competition. In 2004 she earned the title Woman International Master (WIM). There followed her most valuable victory to date, the World Junior Championship for Girls (under 20) at Yerevan in 2007 (at age 17). This result qualified her for the WGM title.
Nebolsina's highest junior ranking was achieved in January 2008, when she was listed by FIDE as No. 13 among the world's top 20 girl players. Statistics for her recent games, however, specifically her record with the black pieces (+30% −42% =27%), show need for substantial improvement to match that of her closest rivals.
Nebolsina describes herself as a positional player who can also be a tactician. The sample game below ably demonstrates her alertness to tactical possibilities.
Nebolsina is a vegetarian for ideological reasons, typifying her disciplined and strong-willed approach to life. She is in her final year at Moscow State University, where she studies English and Chinese. Her talent for languages also extends to speaking French.
Although the following game is not without errors, Nebolsina's play shows the importance of piece mobility over pawn moves, of which there are few. Despite spirited defence from her opponent, Nebolsina finds a pleasing queen sacrifice to conclude matters.