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Yuri Balashov
Balashov 
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 

Number of games in database: 2,188
Years covered: 1959 to 2022
Last FIDE rating: 2382 (2289 rapid, 2318 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2600
Overall record: +691 -287 =1178 (59.4%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 32 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Sicilian (260) 
    B20 B25 B23 B46 B62
 Ruy Lopez (150) 
    C84 C92 C78 C95 C67
 Ruy Lopez, Closed (92) 
    C84 C92 C95 C98 C96
 French Defense (77) 
    C18 C05 C07 C00 C10
 King's Indian Attack (65) 
    A07
 Caro-Kann (62) 
    B10 B17 B11 B12 B14
With the Black pieces:
 Sicilian (171) 
    B40 B96 B46 B22 B83
 Ruy Lopez (161) 
    C92 C91 C95 C77 C85
 Ruy Lopez, Closed (105) 
    C92 C91 C95 C93 C85
 Queen's Indian (87) 
    E15 E17 E12 E19 E14
 Nimzo Indian (83) 
    E32 E55 E34 E46 E20
 English (61) 
    A14 A17 A15 A13 A10
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Balashov vs J Penrose, 1966 1-0
   A Sznapik vs Balashov, 1990 0-1
   Balashov vs A Beliavsky, 1986 1-0
   Balashov vs R Sabjanov, 1994 1-0
   K Grigorian vs Balashov, 1974 0-1
   Balashov vs P Biyiasas, 1976 1-0
   Balashov vs Andersson, 1973 1-0
   Sveshnikov vs Balashov, 1976 0-1
   Balashov vs Romanishin, 1978 1-0
   Balashov vs Bareev, 1987 1/2-1/2

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   International Junior Tournament (1967)
   URS-ch sf Kaliningrad (1972)
   Karlovac (1979)
   Dortmund Open (1991)
   Seversk (1997)
   URS-ch First League (1974)
   Capablanca Memorial (1975)
   Hoogovens (1973)
   USSR Championship (1976)
   Hoogovens-B (1965)
   USSR Championship (1970)
   Vilnius Zonal (1975)
   21st World Seniors Championship (2011)
   USSR Championship (1971)
   USSR Championship (1972)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   0ZeR0's collected games volume 134 by 0ZeR0
   0ZeR0's collected games volume 129 by 0ZeR0
   0ZeR0's collected games volume 128 by 0ZeR0
   A Few Choice Games by Yuri Balashov by Resignation Trap

RECENT GAMES:
   🏆 St Petersburg-ch Seniors
   S Ionov vs Balashov (Oct-02-22) 1/2-1/2
   K Somkin vs Balashov (Sep-21-21) 0-1
   Balashov vs V Borisenko (Sep-20-21) 1/2-1/2
   A Barseghyan vs Balashov (Sep-19-21) 1-0
   Balashov vs S Sargsyan (Sep-19-21) 0-1

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Yuri Balashov
Search Google for Yuri Balashov
FIDE player card for Yuri Balashov

YURI BALASHOV
(born Mar-12-1949, 76 years old) Russia

[what is this?]

Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov was born in Shadrinsk, Russia (formerly USSR). Awarded the IM title in 1970 and the GM title 1973, he was Moscow champion in 1970. He was 2nd to Anatoly Karpov in the 1976 USSR Championship and achieved a number of fine results in strong international tournaments. He also acted as a second to Boris Spassky in his 1992 rematch against Robert James Fischer. 1st in the Moscow Open - D (veteran's division in the event) held in February 2014. (1) Balashov is also a FIDE Senior Trainer (2006).

Wikipedia article: Yuri Balashov

(1) http://chess-results.com/tnr123296....

Last updated: 2022-02-25 13:24:32

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 88; games 1-25 of 2,188  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Sarvarov vs Balashov 0-1301959?D04 Queen's Pawn Game
2. V Panikovsky vs Balashov  0-1431963ShadrinskC85 Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred (DERLD)
3. Bogomolny vs Balashov  0-12719644th Soviet Team Cup sf FrunzeB24 Sicilian, Closed
4. A Chistiakov vs Balashov  1-0291964LeningradB07 Pirc
5. V Shcherbakov vs Balashov  0-1411964LeningradA16 English
6. Balashov vs Sukochev 1-02519644th Soviet Team Cup sf FrunzeD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
7. Balashov vs I E Shliahtin  1-03919644th Soviet Team Cup sf FrunzeB42 Sicilian, Kan
8. Balashov vs L Borodiansky  1-0351965MoscowE93 King's Indian, Petrosian System
9. Balashov vs J Piket  0-1401965Hoogovens-BA72 Benoni, Classical without 9.O-O
10. Balashov vs A Giustolisi  1-0481965Hoogovens-BB41 Sicilian, Kan
11. E Gereben vs Balashov  1-0761965Hoogovens-BA05 Reti Opening
12. Balashov vs N Karaklajic  ½-½451965Hoogovens-BE50 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Nf3, without ...d5
13. G Kieninger vs Balashov  ½-½401965Hoogovens-BB58 Sicilian
14. Balashov vs H Crabbendam  1-0411965Hoogovens-BB29 Sicilian, Nimzovich-Rubinstein
15. H Kramer vs Balashov  ½-½851965Hoogovens-BA08 King's Indian Attack
16. Balashov vs H Mueller  1-0351965Hoogovens-BE30 Nimzo-Indian, Leningrad
17. D van Geet vs Balashov 0-1431965Hoogovens-BA00 Uncommon Opening
18. Balashov vs P de Rooi  1-0391965Hoogovens-BE90 King's Indian
19. J Flesch vs Balashov  0-1371965Hoogovens-BA15 English
20. Balashov vs M Basman  1-0351965Hastings Challengers /66B16 Caro-Kann, Bronstein-Larsen Variation
21. Balashov vs S Khavsky  1-0401966URS-ch34 sf VilniusD48 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran
22. Balashov vs Y Rusakov  ½-½421966URS-ch34 sf VilniusC98 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin
23. Balashov vs L Maslov  ½-½621966URS-ch34 sf VilniusE50 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Nf3, without ...d5
24. Balashov vs V Mikenas  ½-½411966URS-ch34 sf VilniusA07 King's Indian Attack
25. I Nei vs Balashov  1-0321966URS-ch34 sf VilniusD37 Queen's Gambit Declined
 page 1 of 88; games 1-25 of 2,188  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Balashov wins | Balashov loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-02-04  Minor Piece Activity: He has a lot of games in the database... Who is he?
Jun-16-04  clocked: Chessmetrics puts him at number 11 in the world in 1977.
Jul-06-04  rochade18: Balashov is another important GM who supports (or supported?) a club in the German 1.Bundesliga
Jul-08-04  Dick Brain: Botvinnik some years ago claimed that Balashov has no talent. He has good opening preperation but afterward he is an ordinary GM and is as helpless as a kitten.
Jul-09-04  weirdoid: IIRC Balashov was a sort of top player (pretty regular top25er) for quite some time in thd 2nd half of 70's / early 80's. He won Hoogoven 1982, for instance, ahead of Timman, Tal, and Portisch (I think).

With all respect to the great Botvinnik, I always wonder how he could so freely pass withering judgments on others (never mind a mere Balashov, he once described Karpov as knowing nothing and having no chess future). Perhaps he expected everyone to be as well versed in theory as himself, as talented as Capablanca, as determined to win as Fischer, as tactically adept as Tal.

Jul-09-04  henrilin: Balashov certainly was among the top 20 from about 1973 until 1983 when he suddenly dropped about 50-70 Elo-points for some reason. He won a couple of good tournements in the Soviet Union but also in the west during these years. Just to mention some of them:

Wilnius zt 1975 9/14 (qualifying for the Interzonal)
Lone Pine 1977 6,5/9
Lvov zt 1978 9/14 (qualifying for the Interzonal)
Wijk an Zee 8/12

His result against the best Soviet players are quite good. He has a positive score against Tukmakov, Sveshnikov, Kupreichik, Tseshkovsky, Beliavsky, Vaganian, Savon, Geller, Kholmov, Psakhis and Smyslov.

His style is mainly positional with well developed opening schemes and tend to give many draws. Not spectacular but very solid.

Sep-14-04  NMTOR761: He was said to very good tecnical player.
Dec-21-04  Benzol: Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov
Born 12th March 1949 in Shadrinsk
Awarded the IM title in 1970 and GM title in 1973. He was also Moscow champion in 1970.
Mar-12-07  BIDMONFA: Yuri Balashov

BALASHOV, Yuri
http://www.bidmonfa.com/balashov_yu...
_

Feb-25-08  Resignation Trap: A photo of Balashov at Aeroflot 2008: http://www.chesspro.ru/_images/mate... .
Mar-12-09  brankat: Happy Birthday Yuri.
Mar-12-09  TugasKamagong: Happy birthday, Yuri Sergeyevich. You have the same birthday as two guys born on the same day in 1987, Wang Yue and Teimour Radjabov. Cool!
Mar-12-11  wordfunph: Russian GM Yuri Sergeevich Balashov has an excellent opening knowledge, industrious and has a superb memory. Those who knew him said he remembers all the chess games he has ever seen!

happy birthday GM Balashov..

Mar-12-12  brankat: Best wishes for Your Birthday!
Mar-12-13  Eastfrisian: In younger years I met him life. Very impressive. Happy birthday.
Mar-12-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  PawnSac: <henrilin: Balashov certainly was among the top 20 from about 1973 until 1983 when he suddenly dropped about 50-70 Elo-points for some reason.>

That usually happens when a GM reaches the point they no longer want to work as hard at chess. They still like to play, but don't want to WORK at it. So when they stop studying and staying abreast of all the latest lines and innovations/novelties the strongest GM's are playing, he beings to lose a higher percentage of his games. To stay up on this stuff and to also be active in tournaments, GM's put 4-8 hours a day into research and study. I mean lets face it, they are "professional" players.

Mar-12-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Happy 65th birthday to GM Yuri Balashov. Glad to see he's still playing.
May-24-14  john barleycorn: Allegedly, Balashov has graduated from university with a work on Bobby Fischer's games. Does anybody know about it?
May-24-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Dick Brain: Botvinnik some years ago claimed that Balashov has no talent. He has good opening preperation (sic)but afterward he is an ordinary GM and is as helpless as a kitten.>

Never heard this one--sounds more like one of Fischer's pronouncements.

May-24-14  Peter Nemenyi: <john barleycorn: Allegedly, Balashov has graduated from university with a work on Bobby Fischer's games. Does anybody know about it?>

Soltis writes in his book on Fischer that "Yuri Balashov was 22 in 1971 but had become the Soviet expert on Fischer's play after writing a dissertation about him while attending the Institute of Physical Culture". If the High Institute for Physical Culture in Moscow was and is a real university, a copy of the dissertation should be preserved there. Googling suggests that it was just a glorified sports-training facility, though. Perhaps our Russian contributors can clarify the point.

May-24-14  john barleycorn: Thanks, <Peter Nemenyi>.
Feb-11-15  Poisonpawns: "Yury Balashov was unique. In the Botvinnik School he already knew every participant of every Soviet Championship, including every game, and of course, the results. He could instantly calculate on which day of the week, let's say, March 5th, 1923 fell." A.Karpov
Feb-11-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: It was a Sunday.
Mar-01-15  transpose: It was a Monday. Even with Google, I would have been slow to answer compared to Balashov. However, actress Marilu Henner would have gotten that right, as do the few others who possess such a memory. I wonder if any of those people --other than Balashov--ever took up chess? Probably. Balashov is not likely to be alone. Maybe some of the current top players have that kind of memory. Carlsen reportedly knew all the world capitals at an extremely young age (age 3 I believe).
Mar-01-15  transpose: BTW, has anyone seen my glasses? They have got to be around here somewhere.
search thread:   
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