Yuri Balashov

Born February 12, 1949 in g. Shadrinsk.
Grandmaster since 1973.


Winner of international tournaments in Munich, 1979, Wijk aan Zee 1982, Minsk, 1986, Dortmund 1987, and Reykjavik, 1989. League runner-up of the USSR in 1976.

Professional rating of 1 March 2001. - 2546
FIDE rating of 1 January 2001. - 2580


Yuri Balashov attracted attention in childhood. In the famous Botvinnik school, he was the brightest star among peers. World champion Karpov, who attended the session along with the famous Balashov, in his autobiography, recalled that Yura literally lived chess. Such dedication and work of a fanatical, perhaps, could not boast of no one except, Balashov. At 15 he becomes the master. Now it will not surprise anybody, but in the distant 1964 the achievement of such a feat was almost.

Memory and the debut of erudition Balashov still legendary. It is said that he remembers almost everything ever played tournament party. Two years later, Balashov debut in national championship. Champion of the strongest chess powers he did not become, though it is in these competitions he achieved his highest success. As it may seem strange to successfully overcome the barrier of the Union championships, in the zonal (and them in his career had more than 4!) Balashov performed poorly. Yuri repeatedly overcoming a difficult zonal barrier, but has not been able to demonstrate their superiority in the fight against the leading foreign grandmasters. Why? I think that this question will be able to answer only himself Balashov. However, not only a victory over a chess board alive. Balashov, one of the few GMs who, like Tarrasch, "hold" system of five children! It is encouraging that Yuri did not lose fidelity strike. For example, on a strong composition memorial Geller 2000, in competition with Russia's strongest chess players, Balashov has divided the first place!