This week’s game is between an up and coming Russian player, Ivan Popov and the great, veteran GM, Yuri Balashov. In his day, Balashov was a world championship contender and was the 11th highest player in the world with an adjusted rating of 2715. He also served as a second to Boris Spassky for his “Revenge Match of the 20th Century” against Bobby Fischer in 1992. Now, he is 63 and his rating is a modest, 2442. Ivan Popov is only 22 with a rating of 2605.