In 2008, she won the gold medal in team blitz and bronze medal in team rapid chess at the first World Mind Sport Games in Beijing and scored 6/7 on board 5 for the Russian team in the Women's Chess Olympiad. She finished first (with 8 points from 9 games) at the prestigious Moscow Open 2009, and won the bronze medal at the Women's European Individual Championship 2009 (on tie-breaks). In 2011 Pogonina won gold medals at both the Women's European Club Cup and the European Team Chess Championship, as well as got silver at the Women's World Team Chess Championship. In August 2012 she won the Women's Russian Chess Championship with a score +4 =5 -0.