Yury Sakharov (1922 – 1981) was a gifted Ukrainian chess player and distinguished trainer. However he was
 underrepresented in the international chess events and, therefore, he is almost unknown outside Ukraine now.
 Let us cite, however, two responses of the invited top players. 
    GM Alik Zilberberg (USA, an emigre from Ukraine) wrote: "I am too busy with the World Championship 20 to
 accept your offer. I knew Yury well. He was real professional from the top to the bottom. For example after
 the Second World War they put him into the jail for collaboration with German’s (very controversial!). After
 many years they release him and he immediately won with great result semifinal of the USSR champ (World class
 tournament). But government never allow him to go abroad… So being in reality GM he remained only just
 "master". He was the coach of the many chess stars, including Leonid Stein. This great professional player
 was also good in correspondence and he played well in the USSR Ol Team! Unfortunately, now his name is almost
 forgotten".
    It is worth to mention that SM Hagen Tieman, who is participating the Memorial section A, has played
 Sakharov just in ICCF Olympiad 6 Final:
http://www.chessmail.com/tourney/olympiad/oly06/final/board04.htm 
    While nominating his candidature, the BdF President GM Fritz Baumbach mentioned: "It is a pity that I myself
 am occupied too. Otherwise I would have participated myself, because Y. Sakharov was a good chessfriend of mine.
 I met him in the IX. World Championship and later on I got personally acquainted with him when our chessclub had
 a friendly match in Kiev. He was a very nice person".
    Here is a very incomplete archive set of the weblinks to the over-the-board achievements of Yury Sakharov:  
http://www.geocities.com/al2055perv/ch_urs/1951/sf_lvo51.html
http://www.geocities.com/al2055perv/ch_repub/1957/ch_ukr57.html
http://www.geocities.com/al2055perv/ch_repub/1960/ch_ukr60.html
http://www.geocities.com/al2055mag/ch_urs/1965/ch_urs65.html 
http://www.geocities.com/al2055mag/ch_repub/1966/ch_ukr66.html 
http://www.geocities.com/al2055mag/matches/1966/ursyug66.html 
http://www.geocities.com/al2055mag/ch_urs/1967/ch_urs67.html 
http://www.geocities.com/al2055mag/ch_repub/1968/ch_ukr68.html 
http://www.geocities.com/al2055mag/matches/1968/ursyug68.html 
http://www.geocities.com/al2055urs/nat_tour/1971/lening71.html
    One can read a bit more about him in the downloadble article entitled "Honour Deferred" (an excerpt from
 the British Chess Magazine, Vol. 125, No. 7, July 2005). 
    Organizing this memorial event, CCFU continues a series of the invitational ICCF tournaments a tribute to
 distinguished personalities, who have contributed to development of chess in Ukraine.
 

Yury Sakharov, Leonid Stein and Victor Korchnoi during 32nd soviet championship in Kiev (january 1965)


Yury Sakharov playing 35th soviet championship in Kharkiv (1967)