Yuri Balashov
Notable Games

Yuri Balashov

15 celebrated games · 1089 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 1089 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1966.12.30 Balashov, Yuri S vsPenrose, Jonathan 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Normal Defense 26 moves Christmas Congress 1966/67-42 Premier Hastings 1966/67, at seventeen, against Jonathan Penrose in the King's Indian. 11...Nxg3 12.fxg3 gives White the half-open f-file, 15.Bxc8 removes the light-squared bishop, and 25.Rg1 and 26.Rhg4 double the rooks against the bishop on g7.
  • 1969.09.27 Tal, Mikhail vsBalashov, Yuri S 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 33 moves URS-ch37 Final USSR Championship, Moscow 1969, against the former World Champion Mikhail Tal in the Najdorf. 24...Nxd3 takes the white bishop, and the b-pawn runs with 29...b4, 31...bxa3 and 32...a2. Tal resigns after 33...Rd1.
  • 1973.01.23 Balashov, Yuri S vsAndersson, Ulf 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation 23 moves Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1973 against Ulf Andersson in the Scheveningen Sicilian. 15.f5 and 17.Qh6 start the attack, 18.Rxf5 brings the rook in, 20.Nd5 and 21.e5 follow, and Andersson resigns after 23.e6, 23 moves in.
  • 1973.03.07 Balashov, Yuri S vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed 40 moves Tallinn Tallinn 1973 against Paul Keres in the Closed Ruy Lopez. 22.Rd6 and 27.Qh5 build up, 32.Qxe5 wins a pawn, and 37.Rxg7+ Kxg7 38.Qxf6+ breaks open the black king; 40.Rf6+ ends it.
  • 1975 Balashov, Yuri S vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer 33 moves URS-ch43 Final USSR Championship, Yerevan 1975, against David Bronstein in the Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez. The knight reaches f5 twice, at moves 17 and 26, and 31.Nh6+ gxh6 32.Qg4+ Kh8 33.Qxc8 wins the rook.
  • 1976.06.17 Balashov, Yuri S vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack 45 moves Interzonal-10b Manila Interzonal 1976 against the former World Champion Boris Spassky, in the Keres Attack against the Scheveningen. White castles long and throws the kingside pawns forward: 15.f5, 17.f6, 22.h5, 25.g6, 26.fxg7 and 27.h6. The white queen then checks from e7, f8 and f7, and 45.Qxe5 ends it.
  • 1976.11.28 Sveshnikov, Evgeny vsBalashov, Yuri S 0-1 French Defense: Advance Variation 35 moves URS-ch44 Final USSR Championship, Moscow 1976, where Balashov finished second behind Anatoly Karpov, against Evgeny Sveshnikov in the Advance French. 22...g4 and 23...Ne3 open the white kingside, 25...Nxh2 takes the bishop, and 34...Rxf4 35.Kxf4 Qg5+ ends the game.
  • 1977.03.26 Balashov, Yuri S vsBiyiasas, Peter 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation 48 moves Lone Pine op Louis D. Statham Masters Lone Pine 1977, where Balashov shared first place, against Peter Biyiasas in the Closed Ruy Lopez. The c-pawn opens the c-file with 18.c4, 20.c5 and 21.cxd6, the rook reaches c7, and 40.Rxf7+ Kxf7 41.Qh6 gives up the exchange for an attack that ends with 48.Nfg5.
  • 1977.10.03 Balashov, Yuri S vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack 58 moves Interpolis-01 Tilburg 1977 against the former World Champion Vasily Smyslov, in the Howell Attack of the Open Ruy Lopez. 35.Nxd5 Bxd5 36.e6+ breaks up the black kingside, the queens come off at move 44, and the c- and f-pawns decide the ending: 51.c6, 53.f5 and 58.f6.
  • 1978 Balashov, Yuri S vsRomanishin, Oleg M 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation 28 moves Zonal Lvov Zonal tournament, Lviv 1978, against Oleg Romanishin. 18.Nxh6+ gxh6 gives up a knight to open the black king, 20.Bxf5 Rxf5 21.Qxf5 wins a rook for the bishop, and the f-pawn decides: 25.f5, 26.f6+ and 28.f7.
  • 1979.09.29 Harandi, Khosro vsBalashov, Yuri S 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation 40 moves Interzonal-11b Rio de Janeiro Interzonal 1979 against Khosro Harandi in the Richter-Rauzer Sicilian. 20...c4 and 22...cxd3 break up the white queenside, the queens come off at move 21, and 38...a4 and 40...axb3+ open the white king.
  • 1980.05 Karpov, Anatoly vsBalashov, Yuri S 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense 85 moves URS-chT Cup 11th Soviet team cup, Rostov-on-Don 1980, against the reigning World Champion Anatoly Karpov, for whom Balashov worked as a second. In the Queen's Indian, 50...d4 and 51...dxe3 open the white king, 52...Rxe3+ and 53...Rxe5 leave Black a pawn up, and the game goes on to move 85.
  • 1980.11.26 Van der Wiel, John vsBalashov, Yuri S 0-1 Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov Variation 32 moves Olympiad-24 Valletta Olympiad 1980, where the Soviet team won gold and Balashov scored 7½/10 as first reserve, against John van der Wiel in the Caro-Kann. 16...Nxc2+, 17...Nd3+ and 18...Nxb2+ chase the white king to b1, and 30...Rxb3+ and 31...Bxc2+ finish it.
  • 1986 Balashov, Yuri S vsBeliavsky, Alexander G 1-0 Catalan Opening: Open Defense 31 moves URS-ch53 USSR Championship, Kyiv 1986, against Alexander Beliavsky in the Open Catalan. White gives up the exchange on a1 for an attack: 15.Qxg7, 18.Bh6 Rxh6 19.Qxh6, 21.Nxc4 and 25.dxe6+ break up the black position, and 31.Rc6 ends it.
  • 1998.09.09 Balashov, Yuri S vsKhalifman, Alexander 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line 47 moves RUS-Cup final Russian Cup final, Samara 1998, against Alexander Khalifman, who became FIDE World Champion the next year, in the Sozin Sicilian. A tactical sequence from 16...Nxe4 to 22.Qxf4 leaves material level, the queens come off at move 27, and the f-pawn decides: 32.f6+, 37.Bxf7+ Kxf7 38.Rxf5 and 45.f7.
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