Boris Gulko and Josif Dorfman shared the title after tying in the play-off.
The qualifying tournaments took place in Bălți and Baku.
[1][2] The Swiss Qualifying was held in Bălți from 25 August to 14 September 1977 with 64 players.
Lev Alburt won gaining a direct promotion to the final.
The final at Leningrad featured the qualifiers plus the players who entered directly for the historical performance in previous championships.