Yuri Balashov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yuri Balashov |
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Yuri Balashov in 1973
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| Full name | Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov |
| Country | USSR → Russia |
| Born | 12 March 1949 Shadrinsk, Kurgan Oblast, RSFSR, USSR |
| Title | Grandmaster (1973) |
| FIDE rating | 2462 (July 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2600 (January 1979) |
| Peak ranking | No. 11 (January 1979) |
Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov (Russian: Ю́рий Серге́евич Балашо́в) was born on March 12, 1949. He is a famous Russian chess player. In 1973, he earned the special title of Grandmaster from FIDE, which is the world chess organization. This title means he is one of the best chess players in the world!
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Yuri Balashov's Amazing Chess Career
Yuri Balashov became a Grandmaster in 1973. He won the Moscow Championship in 1970. He also came in second place to Anatoly Karpov in the 1976 USSR Championship. This was a very big achievement!
Winning Tournaments and Championships
In 1977, Yuri won the Lithuanian Championship. He also shared first place at two other important tournaments: Lone Pine in 1977 and Wijk aan Zee in 1982.
Later in his career, he continued to win. In 2014, he won the Senior Tournament at the Moscow Open. He also tied for first place in the World Senior Championship for players aged 65 and older. He earned a silver medal in that event. In 2018, he again tied for first place and took home another silver medal.
Playing for His Country
Yuri Balashov played for the USSR in many team competitions. He played in the World Student Team Championships in 1971, 1972, and 1974. In 1971, he won a gold medal for his individual performance.
He also played in four European Team Chess Championships. In 1977, he won an individual gold medal there. At the 24th Chess Olympiad in 1980, he helped the USSR team win the gold medal. He played very well, scoring 7.5 points out of 10 games.
Team Success in Senior Chess
Yuri continued to play for Russia in senior team events. He was part of the "Russia 1" team that won the European Senior Team Championship in 2014. He also helped the Russian team win gold medals at the World Senior Team Championships for players 65 and older in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
How Strong Was Yuri Balashov?
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Yuri Balashov was one of the top 25 chess players in the world. At his best in July 1977, he was ranked number 11 globally. His playing strength was like having a rating of 2715 points, which is incredibly high!
His best performance in a single tournament was at the Moscow USSR Championship in 1976. He scored 10.5 points out of 16 games. This showed a performance rating of 2773, which is amazing!
Yuri Balashov as a Chess Trainer
Besides being a great player, Yuri Balashov also helped other chess champions. In 1992, he was a "second" (a helper and coach) for Boris Spassky. This was during a famous match against Bobby Fischer. In 2005, Yuri was given the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. This means he is recognized as an excellent chess coach.
Awards and Honors
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1981)
Notable Games
Here are some of Yuri Balashov's most famous chess games:
- Yuri Balashov vs David Bronstein, Yerevan URS ch 1975
- Evgeni Ellinovich Sveshnikov vs Yuri Balashov, Moscow URS ch 1976
- Yuri Balashov vs Vasily Smyslov, Tilburg 1977
- Oleg Romanishin vs Yuri Balashov, Minsk URS ch 1979
- Khosro Sheik Harandi vs Yuri Balashov, Rio de Janeiro izt 1979
- Anatoli Karpov vs Yuri Balashov, USSR 1980
