See 2, 3 or 4 moves ahead - 3 Books in One!



Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Yuri Balashov.
White to move and win except where noted.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your cursor from one bracket to the other.

a)
White mates in 8.
Yuri Balashov vs Paul Keres, Tallinn, 1973
r1qn2k1/6p1/pR3p1p/P3Q3/bP2P3/6RP/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxg7+ if Kxg7 Qxf6+ or if Kh8 Rxf6 ]

b)
Yuri Balashov vs Silvino Garcia Martinez, Cienfuegos, 1975
r2qk2r/1b1nnpb1/p3p1pp/4P1B1/NpBN2Q1/8/PP3PPP/R3R1K1 w kq - 0 1
[ Nxe6 fxe6 Qxe6 if Rf8 Bd3 Bd5 Bxg6+ Rf7 Bxf7+ Kf8 Bxe7+ Qxe7 Qxe7+ Kxe7 Bxd5 ]

c)
Yuri Balashov vs David Bronstein, Yerevan, 1975
2r1nbk1/5ppp/3p4/3PpN2/qp2P3/5Q1P/P2B1PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nh6+ if gxh6 Qg4+ Ng7 Qxc8 or if Kh8 Qxf7 ]

d)
Yuri Balashov vs Oleg Romanishin, Moscow, 1976
r1b2rk1/p3qppp/1pn1pn2/2p5/1bp5/1PN1PNP1/PBQP1PBP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Ng5 if Bb7 Nd5 exd5 Bxf6 ]

e)
Yuri Balashov vs Lev Alburt, Leningrad, 1977
r1b1r3/p2p1k2/3Q2pp/2p1pp2/1p2q3/1P6/P1P2PPP/2KR1B1R w - - 0 1
[ Bc4+ if Kg7 Bd5 Qf4+ Kb1 ]

1b)
Yuri Balashov vs Silvino Garcia Martinez

Yuri Balashov Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White mates in 6.
Yuri Balashov vs Aloyzas Kveinys, Klaipeda, 1980
2rr2k1/1p4pp/p7/n1b5/4R1Q1/P2B4/1q4PP/5R1K w - - 0 1
[ Qe6+ Kh8 Rh4 if h6 Rxh6+ or if g6 Rxh7+ ]

b)
Yuri Balashov vs Yuri Anikaev, Minsk, 1983
2b5/p5k1/1pnR1r1p/2p1qp1P/4pQ2/1PP1N1P1/P5B1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxf6 if Qxf6 Qc7+ or if Kxf6 Ng4+ or if Qxf4 Rg6+ ]

c)
Yuri Balashov vs Chen De, Hannover, 1983
2k4r/pbqr2pp/B3pp2/2Ppn3/5B2/P1P5/2P1QPPP/1R4K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxb7 if Qxb7 c6 Nxc6 Bxb7+ Kxb7 Qb5+ ]

d)
Jean-Luc Seret vs Yuri Balashov, Rhodes, 2019
5rk1/1b2q2p/3bppp1/pPn5/3Q4/4PN2/1BB2PPP/2R3K1 b - - 0 1
[ 1...Bxf3 2.gxf3 Be5 ]

2c)
Yuri Balashov vs Chen De


More Russian GMs
Back to the Index