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Checkmate Run
The KGB agents are vicious, and they are closing in... His odds of escaping are bleak... Will he prevail although everything is muddled in a treacherous love triangle? Whom can he trust? The inevitable checkmate could bring him freedom … or death. Checkmate Run is an adrenaline rush of a story about a precocious young man’s deadly struggle to survive the brutal Soviet regime. Alex Loevsky is a medical student and an inspiringly rebellious poet. He becomes enmeshed in a breakneck battle against the rampant cruelty of the totalitarian state, where just the desire to think freely is nearly a crime on par with treason, and being born Jewish is more than a mere hindrance. Alex aspires to be a physician. Despite his top academic standing, he has to overcome unspoken rule that aim to restrict the number of Jews entering medical school. Before sitting his admission exams, he is unable to locate his name on the list of alphabetically grouped applicants. He soon discovers that a special group has been created and that everyone in it, including him, has Jewish-sounding surnames. Finding this odd, he goes to his friend and confidante––his aunt Anna. They formulate a daring scheme to shift his name to the regular group. Alex gets the highest score in the admission exams, but to his chagrin, he discovers that everyone in the special group has been flunked. Shortly thereafter, with the help of his literary mentor, Andrey Simyavsky, Alex’s poetry gains recognition, and New Word, a coveted avant-garde literary magazine, starts to publish his work regularly. All of a sudden, Andrey is arrested, convicted in a closed trial, and sentenced to seven years of hard labor after his banned novel, Lyubimov, was covertly published abroad. While searching for the secret transcripts of the trial, the KGB murders Andrey’s wife. Alex, who is suspected of hiding the transcripts, is hounded, severely beaten, and left to die. He manages to escape and runs into Lara, a fellow medical student, who saves his life. Aunt Anna enlists the help of her friend, who now holds the rank of general in the Interior Ministry Force. They devise a plan to shield Alex from the KGB by keeping him in solitary confinement inside the Internal Ministry prison. Six months later, the general arranges for Alex’s release, but with one caveat––Alex is forever barred from creative writing. While incarcerated, Alex is expelled from medical school. The general applies pressure on the corrupt dean, and, with Lara’s help, Alex is reinstated. A few years pass, Alex witnesses the murder of a dissident who seeks to expose to the Western world the torturous reality of life in the Soviet Union. The murder leads Alex to the core of the dissident’s underground movement. His life becomes a death-dealing game of chess; he needs to remain one step ahead of his ruthless opponent––the KGB’s Second Chief Directorate––and must win the game in order to survive. Unexpectedly, the KGB attempts to recruit Alex as an informant. Being entrapped, he experiences betrayal at the hands of the woman with whom he has had a long and passionate love affair. As Alex and Lara grow closer, their friendship turns into love. They get married, and a year later, they have a son. Concern for their son’s future fires up their desire to escape the country that turned on them. Having nothing to lose, Alex and Lara navigate through the imminent danger of terrifying twists and turns in their bid to cross the Iron Curtain.
334 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 23, 2015
Checkmate Run by Alan Alexander is an intriguing story of Soviet Russia during the Cold War. It is a story about one man’s struggle against powers which tried to quash personal expression and ideas that were different than the status quo. The events take place between 1965-1975 as a young man named Alex learns the harsh and life threatening reality that he faces every day.
The story opens with a prisoner getting ready for trial. A trial that is heavy swung in the government’s favor. He is found guilty and sentenced for hard labor. We then meet Alex, a young man who has recently published a poem in a national magazine. A poem which openly criticizes the government. Alex is of Jewish descent and he must use trickery and subversion in order to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor as the government is discriminatory toward the Jewish citizens. With the help of his aunt and her powerful friends, he is able to get into medical school. When a friend and fellow author, Andrey Simyavsky, has been arrested for treason, a series of events occur that will change Alex’s life forever. He vows to fight in any way he can. He soon becomes on the radar of the KGB, the Russian spy and state-security branch, and he must fight quietly and undermine the growing reaches of the government. Will the KGB finally be able to stop Alex? Will he be able to escape?
I enjoyed this book very much. It’s hard to give a description of the book without giving too much away. Every event in the book is a piece of the puzzle, a calculated chess move in which Alex tries to outsmart the KGB and they are trying to catch Alex in “illegal” activities. I always knew about the harshness of life behind the Iron Curtain but to read about it in such detail, it’s heartbreaking. I have a deeper appreciation for the freedoms we have here in the US. We may not like what people say or do, but we can do the simple things like openly criticize the government without fear of losing our freedom or our lives. I was also intrigued of how the book Doctor Zhivago played at role in the story. I must confess I’ve never read the book or seen the movie but now I will. The last few chapters move at a furious pace as the danger greatly increases for Alex. I highly recommend Checkmate Run.
The story opens with a prisoner getting ready for trial. A trial that is heavy swung in the government’s favor. He is found guilty and sentenced for hard labor. We then meet Alex, a young man who has recently published a poem in a national magazine. A poem which openly criticizes the government. Alex is of Jewish descent and he must use trickery and subversion in order to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor as the government is discriminatory toward the Jewish citizens. With the help of his aunt and her powerful friends, he is able to get into medical school. When a friend and fellow author, Andrey Simyavsky, has been arrested for treason, a series of events occur that will change Alex’s life forever. He vows to fight in any way he can. He soon becomes on the radar of the KGB, the Russian spy and state-security branch, and he must fight quietly and undermine the growing reaches of the government. Will the KGB finally be able to stop Alex? Will he be able to escape?
I enjoyed this book very much. It’s hard to give a description of the book without giving too much away. Every event in the book is a piece of the puzzle, a calculated chess move in which Alex tries to outsmart the KGB and they are trying to catch Alex in “illegal” activities. I always knew about the harshness of life behind the Iron Curtain but to read about it in such detail, it’s heartbreaking. I have a deeper appreciation for the freedoms we have here in the US. We may not like what people say or do, but we can do the simple things like openly criticize the government without fear of losing our freedom or our lives. I was also intrigued of how the book Doctor Zhivago played at role in the story. I must confess I’ve never read the book or seen the movie but now I will. The last few chapters move at a furious pace as the danger greatly increases for Alex. I highly recommend Checkmate Run.
August 20, 2015
I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
World War II ended September 2, 1945. Segregation in America ended with The Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the segregation and persecution of Jews by the KGB (Committee for State Security) was going strong through at least 1975. Checkmate Run is the story of Alex Loevsky, a medical student, a poet (writing what at the time was considered very controversial poems against the government), and a Jew. Through out the story we are exposed to the way the Russian government, between 1965 and 1975, treated Jewish citizens. We see Alex figure out that despite his beliefs there is still a limit on the number of Jewish students allowed in medical school. We also see the censorship that is placed on the people by the KGB. Anyone who disagreed with anything was immediately stopped and possibly thrown in jail (read labor camp). We watch as Alex goes from poet to prisoner to doctor to a man with a family fleeing Russia to start a new life. I found this novel to be an excellent read. It was full of heart, action, and a little bit of history. Mr. Alexander draws a picture of what his life was like before he and his wife and son came to America, all while keeping it as a work of fiction. If you enjoy historical fiction especially set in the 60s and 70s then I completely recommend this book. Don't let the beginning fool you, this is one that once you get engrossed you will find it hard to put down.
World War II ended September 2, 1945. Segregation in America ended with The Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the segregation and persecution of Jews by the KGB (Committee for State Security) was going strong through at least 1975. Checkmate Run is the story of Alex Loevsky, a medical student, a poet (writing what at the time was considered very controversial poems against the government), and a Jew. Through out the story we are exposed to the way the Russian government, between 1965 and 1975, treated Jewish citizens. We see Alex figure out that despite his beliefs there is still a limit on the number of Jewish students allowed in medical school. We also see the censorship that is placed on the people by the KGB. Anyone who disagreed with anything was immediately stopped and possibly thrown in jail (read labor camp). We watch as Alex goes from poet to prisoner to doctor to a man with a family fleeing Russia to start a new life. I found this novel to be an excellent read. It was full of heart, action, and a little bit of history. Mr. Alexander draws a picture of what his life was like before he and his wife and son came to America, all while keeping it as a work of fiction. If you enjoy historical fiction especially set in the 60s and 70s then I completely recommend this book. Don't let the beginning fool you, this is one that once you get engrossed you will find it hard to put down.
June 15, 2015
This book left me with several different feelings. It started rather slow but I am extremely glad that I followed through and finished it to the end! This was an amazing story following Alex Loevsky a Russian Jew and his trials and tribulations of finding a way to get out of the country that decided to turn it’s back on a whole religion. I have never read a book set during the Cold War on the communist side of the Iron Curtain. As I said this book was a sow starter for me but I am glad that I have the philosophy that if I start it I will finish it because for me the 10th chapter onward was some extremely riveting storytelling.
August 7, 2018
Riveting, I couldn't put this book down!
An inspiring true story of courage, hope and love in the face of prejudice and oppression.
I have had the pleasure of meeting the author, who is one of the most compassionate and kind men I have ever met.
I was literally on the edge of my seat while reading and felt like I was there rooting for this little family to escape from an impossible situation. I found myself holding my breath at the end.
An inspiring true story of courage, hope and love in the face of prejudice and oppression.
I have had the pleasure of meeting the author, who is one of the most compassionate and kind men I have ever met.
I was literally on the edge of my seat while reading and felt like I was there rooting for this little family to escape from an impossible situation. I found myself holding my breath at the end.
October 10, 2019
What a great story of overcoming struggle, adversity, and prejudice in communist Russia in the 1960's and 1970's.
Alexander does a wonderful job of connecting his personal life with the culture in Russia at the time
He is an amazing man for undergoing all the struggles described in this book. His ability how to respond to human nature evolves very well in this book
Alexander does a wonderful job of connecting his personal life with the culture in Russia at the time
He is an amazing man for undergoing all the struggles described in this book. His ability how to respond to human nature evolves very well in this book
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews