FIDE Surveys – Alexander Beliavsky

1

Alexander Beliavsky :
Bodycheck

In chess every piece can match other, similar
one. But Kings fight is very specific, as
Kings can not come close to each other. This
feature is very important and it is performed
wrongly in many cases, even by the greats.

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1...Kh5!
Only winning move - it prevents White King
coming back to help own pawn or to attack
opponents pawn. Other two logical moves
allows White to save the game. 1...Kh4?
2.Kg6; 1...f5 2.Kg6 f4, with draw in both
cases.
2.Kg7 f5 ½.

Maizelis L.
1925

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1.Ke6 Kc3 2.Kd5!

Not allowing Black king to come to c4 or d4
and then trying to come to c7, obtaining the
draw position.
2...Kb4 3.Kc6 Ka5 4.Kb7 1:0.

Alekhine A. : Bogoljubow E.
Wch (14) – GER\NLD 1929

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Even classics did not perform bodycheck
correctly!
70...Kg4?
Only way was 70...Ke4 71.b7 f5 72.b8Q Rb8
73.Rb8 f4 74.Re8 Kd4 75.Rf8 Ke3 76.Kd5
f3 77.Kc4 f2 78.Kc3 Ke2.
71.b7 f5 72.b8Q Rb8 73.Rb8 f4 74.Kd5 f3
75.Ke4 f2 76.Rf8 Kg3 77.Ke3 1:0.

Manukovski : Pustovalov
Russia 1992

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1...Kf4!
1...Kf3? allowed 2.Kf5 with draw. Now
black takes both Whites pawns. Because of
bodycheck, opponent is in zugzvang.

FIDE Surveys – Alexander Beliavsky

2

Rogers I. : Shirov A.
Groningen 1990

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4.Kg3!!
It is necessary to prevent Black King to start
attacking White pawn. So plan is simple -
pawn goes to f6 and then White king comes
to attack pawn f7. But on the way Black
King is prevented to come closer. 4.Kg5
Kg2 5.f4 Kf3 6.f5 Ke4 7.Kf6 (7.f6 Ke5).
4...Kg1 5.f4 Kf1 6.f5
6.Kf3 Ke1 (6...f5! 7.Kg3 (7.Ke3 Kg2)
7...Ke2) 7.f5 Kd2 8.Ke4 Kc3 9.Kd5 Kb4
10.f6 Kb5 11.Kd6 Kb6 12.Ke7.
6...Ke2 7.Kf4 f6
7...Kd3 8.Ke5 Kc4 (8...Ke3 9.f6 Kf3 10.Kd6
Kg4 11.Ke7) 9.Kf6.
8.Ke4 1:0.

Grigorjev N.
1929

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1.Kg3!

White have to reach opposition coming to
b4, when Black King will capture on b6. But
it is necessary to avoid bodycheck on the
road. Wrong is direct way: 1.Kg4? Kc2!
2.Kf4 Kd3 3.Kf3 Kc4 4.Ke4 Kc5 5.Kd3 Kb6
6.Kc4 Ka5–+.
1...Kc2 2.Kf2 Kd2 3.Kf1 Kc3 4.Ke2 Kc4
5.Kd2 Kb5 6.Kc3 Kb6 7.Kb4 ½.

Szabo : Aleksandrescu
Romania 1952

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1...Kf2?
It was necessary to come around with the
King, avoiding bodycheck: 1...Ke2! 2.h6
Kd3 3.Ke5 Kc4 4.Kf6 Kd5 5.Kg7 Ke6
6.Kh7 Kf7=.
2.Ke5 Ke3 3.h6 Kd3 4.Kf6 0:1.

Ljubojevic Lj. : Browne W.
Amsterdam 1972

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1...f5??

FIDE Surveys – Alexander Beliavsky

3

Correct was not to allow Whites King to
return back: 1...Kd5!! 2.b4 (2.Kb4 Kd4–+)
2...f5 3.b5 f4 4.b6 Kc6! 5.Ka6 f3 6.b7 f2
7.b8Q f1Q 8.Ka5 Qa1–+.
2.Kb4!= f4 3.Kc4 ½.

Malakhov V. : Najer E.
Moscow 2007

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1.Ke5??
White chosed the shortest way to the
opponents pawn, but correct was to block
opponents King first, then to push own pawn
and just after preparation to go for pawn f7.
1.Kd4! Kb5 (1...Kb3 2.f4 Kc2 3.f5 Kd2 4.f6
Ke2 5.Ke5 Kf3 6.Kd6 Kf4 7.Ke7+–) 2.Kd5!
Kb6 (2...Kb4 3.f4 Kc3 4.f5 Kd3 5.f6+–)
3.Kd6 Kb5 4.f4 (4.Ke7 Kc5 5.f4+–) 4...Kc4
5.f5 Kd4 6.f6 Ke4 7.Ke7+–.
1...Kc5!
1...Kc4? 2.f4 Kd3 3.f5 Ke3 4.f6 (4.Kf6??
Kf4=) 4...Kf3 5.Kd6 Kf4 6.Ke7+–.
2.f3
2.f4 Kc6 3.Kf6 Kd5=.
2...Kc6 3.f4 Kd7 4.Kf6 Ke8 5.Kg7 f5!
5...Ke7?? 6.f5+–.
6.Kf6 Kf8 7.Kf5 Kf7 ½.

Urmancheev : Podolsky
USSR 1972

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1.Kb6?
Automatic and wrong, as it allows opponents
King to come closer. Correct was to block it:
1.Kb4!!, stopping the Black King and
winning time to move own pawn. 1...Kd4
2.a6 Kd5 3.a7 Rh8 4.Kb5.
1...Kc4 2.a6 Rh6 3.Kb7 Kb5 4.a7 Rh7
5.Kb8 Kb6 6.a8N Kc6 0:1.

Gibbs Do. : Cannon Ri.
Brighton 2010

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52.Ke5!
White tries to stop Blacks King to come to
the Kings flank.
52...Kc4?
White showed its bodycheck, so it was
necessary to go from the other side, where
bodycheck was not possible to be performed:
52...Kd2 53.h4 Ke3 54.h5 Kf3 55.g5 Kg4
achieving draw.

FIDE Surveys – Alexander Beliavsky

4

53.h4 Kc5 54.h5 Bd1 55.h6 Bc2 56.g5 Kc6
57.Kf6 Kd7 58.g6 1:0.

Lerner K. : Dorfman J.
1980

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This move is in reality prophylactics -
preventing bodycheck from opp. King.
19.Rf2!
Wrong was immediate bringing King back
19.Kb7 Kf6 20.Kc6 Ke5 with Bodycheck
and theoretical draw.
19...Kg6 20.Kb7 g4 21.Kc6 Kg5 22.Kd5 g3
23.Rf8 Kg4 24.Ke4 1:0.

Kukovec B. : Podlesnik B.
Bled 2001

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53.Rh3?
Correct was not the materialism, but try to
escape the bodycheck: 53.Kc4 Ke4 54.Kc3
Ke3 55.Kc2 f3 56.Kd1 Kf2 57.Rh3 Kg2
58.Rh8 f2 59.Rg8 Kf1 60.Rf8 Kg2 61.Ke2.
53...Ke4 54.Kc4 f3 55.Rh8 f2 ½.

Pancevski F. : Welz P.
Rijeka 2010

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57...Rf8?
The king must be brought closer as quickly
as possible, in the same time preventing
opponents King to help its passed pawn.
57...Kd4! 58.Kf5 Kd5 59.Kf6 Kd6 60.b7
Rb8 61.Kg7 Ke7–+.
58.Ke5 Rf7 59.Kd5!
Bodycheck!
59...Kc3 60.Kc6 ½.

Mikhalchishin A. : Azmaiparashvili Z.
Tbilisi 1980

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11.Ke6!
It is necessary to stop opponents King.
Losing was natural 11.f6 Kd5 12.Kg8 Ra8
13.Kh7 Ke6 14.Kg7 Ra7 15.Kg6 Rf7.
11...Re1
If other check, then 11...Ra6 12.Ke5!=.
12.Kd6 Rf1 13.Ke6 ½.

FIDE Surveys – Alexander Beliavsky

5

Korchnoi V. : Kasparov G.
London (m/6) 1983

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63.d5?
63.Rd1! g2 64.Rg1 Ke4 65.d5 Rg6 66.Kf7=.
63...Rg6!
63...g2? 64.Rd4! Ke3 65.Rd1=.
64.Ke7 g2 65.Rd1 Ke5!–+
This was underestimated by Korchnoi, He
did not see that Black King will go not to
help own pawn, but to attack his King.
66.d6
66.Rg1 Kd5 67.Kf7 Rg3 68.Kf6 Ke4.
66...Re6 67.Kd7 Rd6 68.Rd6 g1Q 69.Re6
Kf5 70.Rd6 Qa7 71.Kd8 Ke5 72.Rg6 Qa5
73.Kd7 Qa4 74.Ke7 Qh4! 75.Kf8 Qd8
76.Kf7 Kf5 77.Rh6 Qd7 0:1.

Neishtadt : Volovich
Moscow 1958

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1.c5?
Correct was immediately avoid attack of the
opponents King 1.Ke6! Kd4 (Easy draw is

after 1...Kf3 2.c5 Kg2 3.Rh2 Rh2 4.c6 Kf3
5.c7 Rc2 6.Kd7) 2.Kf6 Kc4 3.Kg6 Rh8
4.Kf5 Kd3 5.Kf4 Ke2 6.Kg3 Rg8 7.Kf4!
1...Rh6 2.Ke7 Kd5!
Now white King is cahased from its pawn
and it is too far from h2 pawn.
3.Kf7 Kc5 4.Kg7 Rh3 5.Kg6 Kd4 6.Kg5
Ke3 7.Kg4 Rh8 8.Kg3 Rg8 9.Kh3 Kf2
10.Rh2 Kf3 0:1.

Huebner R. : Pfleger H.
Germany 1989

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White wrongly decided for pawn end:
75.Kf6?? Kf4 76.Rf7 Rf7 77.Kf7 Kf5!!
Driving White King into zugzwang.
78.Kg7 g5 79.h5 g4 80.h6 g3 81.h7 g2
82.h8Q g1Q 83.Kf8 Qc5 84.Kg8 Qc8
85.Kg7 Qh8 86.Kh8 Ke5 0:1.

Zhu Chen : Sebag M.
Doha 2011

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45...Ke4!

FIDE Surveys – Alexander Beliavsky

6

Longer winning method was 45...Kd4
46.Kf6 Ke4 47.Ke6 d4 48.f5 d3 49.f6 d2
50.f7 d1Q 51.f8Q Qd5 52.Ke7 Qc5 53.Ke8
Qf8 54.Kf8 Kd3 55.Ke7 Kc2 56.Kd6 Kb2
57.Kc5 Ka2.
46.Kf6 Kf4 0:1.

Holuba S. : Boiselle R.
Wuerzburg 1996

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71.Rg8
71.Kd5! Kb4 72.Kd4 g2 (72...a4 73.Rb8 +–;
72...Kb3 73.Rc3 +–) 73.Rc1! Kb3 74.Kd3 a4
75.Rb1 Ka2 76.Rg1 a3 77.Rg2 Kb3 78.Rg8!
a2 79.Rb8 Ka3 80.Kc2! a1N 81.Kc3 +–.
71...a4 72.Rg3 Kc4 73.Ke5 Kb4 74.Kd4 a3
75.Rg8 a2 76.Ra8 Kb3 77.Kd3 Kb2 ½.

Zinar M.
1984

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1.Ke2! Kg2 2.a4 Kg3 3.Ke3 Kg2 4.a5 Kf1
5.a6 Ke1 6.Kd4 Kd2 7.Kd5 Kd3 8.Kc6
Kd4 9.Kb7 Kd5 10.Ka7 Kc6 11.Kb8 1:0.

Pachman L. : Trifunovic P.
Prague 1946

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59.Kf6! Ra6 60.Kf7 Ke5 61.g7 Ra7 62.Kg6
½.

Molina R. : Marrero Lopez Y.
Regina Helena Marques Prol Santos 2012

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69.f6?
Now Black is back in time. The amazing
retreat 69.Ke5!! gives Black a bodycheck,
which wins the all important tempo:
69...Ke3 70.f6 Kf3 71.f7 Be7 72.Kf5
(Baburin) 72...Kg3 73.g5 Kh4 74.g6 Bf8
75.Kf6 Kh5 76.g7+–.
69...Ke4! 70.f7 Bh6 71.Kf6 Kf4 72.Kg6 Bf8
73.g5 Be7 74.Kh5 Kf5 75.g6 Bf8 ½.