Hedgehog chess. Hedgehog in Chess: A Textbook of Strategy and Tactics

07.03.2024

Good day, dear friend!

According to experts, in life this small animal will not miss the opportunity to bite with its sharp teeth. Sergei Shipov's book - Hedgehog: A Textbook of Strategy and Tactics - will introduce us to the chess analogue of this wonderful animal.

Title: Hedgehog: A Textbook of Strategy and Tactics
Published: 2005, Ripol Publishing House
Volume 570 pages

What is this book about?

In chess, the term “hedgehog” refers to a pawn structure with some black pawns located in the 6th row (white pawns, respectively, in the 3rd row). For example:

In addition to external similarities, formations of this type are similar to forest animals in their fighting tactics.

Black spends a long time in purely defensive maneuvers under the cover of a pawn “thorn”. In order to open up at a convenient moment and “bite” the opponent.

There are a huge number of possible modifications of hedgehog positions. The book discusses the most popular and commonly used ones.

The idea of the book is not only to describe the part of the Hedgehog, but also to examine in detail the ideas using the example of games. For this purpose, the games are given in full, with comments up to the very end.

about the author

Sergey Yurievich Shipov(born 1966) - Soviet and Russian grandmaster. Famous chess expert, coach, writer. One of the best, if not the best chess commentator.

Sergei Yuryevich's reports from online tournaments attract a huge number of Internet users, thanks to his manner of reporting competently and interestingly for the viewer.

Summary

Not all games in the book are of grandmaster level. However, this is for the better. Because, especially against not the strongest chess players, the main ideas come through easily and cleanly.

Accordingly, such “one-wicket” games more clearly demonstrate hedgehog ideas and methods of play.

And this fact makes it possible to look at the hedgehog objectively, weighing its strengths and weaknesses.

The author hopes that it was possible to reveal many of the secrets of this discreet but “prickly” construction, mysterious and original. If one of the readers takes a liking to the hedgehog and wants to play him, the task is completed.

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Good evening!

Having seen today's video of the cult Soviet film, perhaps someone will decide: “well... today is a day off for the chess theme.”
:-) But no! Today we are talking neither about the heroes of the civil war, nor about how “the intelligentsia walks beautifully.”

I’ll tell you my personal opinion about a specific formation in chess, which at first looks the same as the Red Army soldiers pressed to the trenches by the Kappelites at first...

Players of rank 2 and higher are invited to the monitors. For some of you there will be a great revelation, as it once was for me.

The system is called "hedgehog". Characterized by a specific pawn structure.
It often arises from the Sicilian Defense, from the English Origin and from New Indian formations.

For example, after the moves:
1.e4 c5 2.Kf3 Kc6 3.d4 c:d4 4.K:d4 e6

White could now immediately make the move 5.с4 and indicate his intention to press Black thoroughly. But they don’t like the fact that the exit to the f8 bishop is not closed and after 5... Kf6 6.Kc3 Cb4 - a position arises that is considered profitable for Black.

Therefore, with the move 5.Kb5 White calls for the move 5... d6 and only now 6.с4

Now if you remove all the pieces from the board and leave only the pawns, you can see the “hedgehog” in detail.

Diagram No. 1

The specific configuration of black pawns in the center is the “Sicilian hedgehog”. Black intends to limit himself to the maneuvers of his pieces within the 6th, 7th and 8th ranks. It's a bit cramped. But Black also does not intend to let White pass beyond the fourth row! The hedgehog took control of important squares along the 5th row (c5, d5, e5, f5). These fields are not available for white pieces.

It is important that “pulling out the spines” of a hedgehog is not so easy. Black is perfectly prepared to repel any pawn moves by White. Well, or (looking ahead) to almost everyone.

Let us now analyze the situation from White's side. With just two pawns c4 and e4 they captured black in a positional pincer! A good freeing continuation for Black would be d6-d5, but that’s what the two white sentries are there for. Let's add to this the half-open d-file for heavy white pieces and it becomes obvious that the d6 pawn is the weakest link in black's formation.

Another undeniable advantage for White is that he has more room for maneuver! On 4 rows, regrouping for a strong complex strike is much easier than doing the same thing with black on 3 rows.

Purely outwardly, it seems that the question of the death of a black player is a matter of time... “sooner or later they will suffocate” - that’s roughly what I thought when I looked at the diagrams with the hedgehog in the “64” magazines. Everything I was taught in chess said that White cannot lose here, and the passive stance of Black is a maximum for a draw...

Now, after 25 years, I have a completely different conclusion :-)))
If I know that I have to play against an expert hedgehog, or rather probably a “skilled one”, I simply won’t go for this formation with White :-))!

Believe me, I’m not a timid person, but it was precisely in the hedgehog that my main chess disappointments were... A skilled person will feel with his fingertips ANY inaccurate move by White! One careless step and black begins to play for victory themselves. There are a lot of nuances there. And hedgehog experts are excellent at understanding them.

Of course, there are experts in playing these positions as White, but I, for one, don’t count myself among them.

What is black’s “compressed spring” based on?

1) Pawn d6 - you won’t win. Black has enough resources to defend it. An attack with a bishop, a queen and two rooks does not succeed. But the knights cannot be led to attack this pawn.

2) The position shown in diagram No. 1 quickly turns into this:
Diagram No. 2

The black pieces have enough space to sit comfortably on the queenside. And it’s just an appearance that they are standing there like furniture... they are simply charged with destroying White at the first opening of the position.

3) By developing pressure on both advanced pawns e4 and c4, Black can achieve some weakening of White’s position and then... they themselves attack White’s center with pawn attacks d6-d5 or b6-b5, and sometimes e6-e5.
The expert hedgehog knows how to “let White get closer” and wait for an advantageous moment in the game for a well-calibrated and cold-blooded strike in the center.

4) The most interesting thing is that sometimes black plays completely unusual. They didn’t give a damn about the fact that White has a spatial advantage, and they put almost nothing into their maneuvers under the cover of the pawn-piece center.
They can simply take and prepare an attack on White's kingside with g7-g5 or h7-h5,

With several posts on Mondays, I intend to show how interestingly black can play in this seemingly advantageous position only for white. And in the last one I will show the most unpleasant counter-plan for White.

Fragment No. 1 (undermining the white center with successive blows b6-b5, and then d6-d5)

16...Kbd7!
The knight occupies an elastic position on d7, from where it can move to c5 or e5.

17.Kb1
White was afraid of 2...Ke5 and moves the knight to d2 to protect the c4 point.

17...Kc5 18.Qc2 b5!

First hit. First the c4 pawn is eliminated.

19.Qe2 bxc4 20.Rxc4 d5!

Here comes the second blow! Until recently, White stood in the center like kings...

21.exd5 Kxd5 22.Bf2 Bg5!

The opening of the game happened to Black's advantage, since White's king was weakened, as well as the d3 and e3 squares.
Rarely does anyone pay attention to this flip side of the coin of gaining an advantage in space.
Meanwhile, pawns that have gone far ahead do not return back. There is no longer anything to cover the fields with.

23.Kg1 h6 24.h4 Bf6 25.b3 Rc7 26.Nd2 Rac8 27.Rdc1 Nb4

Of course, the position is quite playable, but the fact is that playing it as black is a pleasure

28.Ne4 Nxe4 29.fxe4 Rxc4 30.Rxc4 Rxc4 31.bxc4 Qc7

The parties resorted to massive exchanges, but White is unlikely to feel any better. Four pawn islands against two + the precarious position of White's king - all this dooms him to a difficult defense.

Now 32... Kb3 was needed, but instead they made a gross mistake.

32.a3 Bxd4 33.axb4 Qxg3
with a decisive advantage for Black.

Fragment No. 2

It would seem that the whites stand like a rock, their formation in the center is like that “psychic attack” from the movie.
I have already said that sometimes in order for blacks to suddenly attack you, a minimal nuance is enough! In this case (who would have thought!) Black was attracted by the modest h2 pawn!

14...d5! 15.exd5 Bd6!

I talked a little about the Institute of Physical Education. About the fact that I was lucky to study with very strong guys. Among them was Tolik. He was then only a CMS, but in the hedgehog - he was a grandmaster! :-))) In the same way, every time he opened my white positions like tin cans. I didn’t understand at all how to fight him in blitz :-)

Now, suddenly, both the bishop on e3 and the pawn on h2 have sagged.

16.h3 exd5 17.Bf2 d4!

Well, now, according to the plot from the film, Chapaev’s cavalry will appear on the slope :-))) And the whites will run in panic!

18.Bxd4 Nh519.Bf2 Nf4

The beginning of a formidable piece attack on the white king, besides, knight a3 is out of play.
A position with a large advantage for black.

Fragment No. 3

Do you understand anything? Why would White's position be worse????
They have the most balanced position possible. There are no weaknesses. Even the h2 point is covered this time (!!!)
There is not a single piece or pawn that White would do poorly.

The cynicism of blacks in this fragment is that they sneeze at both the spatial advantage and the fact that whites have everything protected in abundance.

1... Kh8!
Bobby Fischer once used this plan in a game against Tukmakov and many people played like this... Black plans to simply play 2... Rg8 and then throw the g pawn just out of the blue to gain the initiative against the white king.

2.Nc2 Rg8 3.Qe3 Rge8

Looks like a mockery of white people! It’s like they’re playing with the whites: “I can go there, I can come back.”
The discouraged white player goes to repeat the position..........

4.Qd2 Bf8 5.b3 Rcd8 6.Ne3 Ba8

Black improves his position with small moves. The queen is ready to support (if necessary) b6-b5.

7.Qb2 Ne5
The only way to drive the knight away from here is by moving f3-f4, and this will weaken the e4 pawn and the h1-a8 diagonal.

8.b4 g5! 9.Na4 Bg7 10.Nc2 g4!

Black implemented his aggressive plan. After g4:f3 the king on h1 begins to feel very unpleasant. The modestly standing bishop on a8... only two white pawns will separate him and the king.

In general I will say this. White, of course, could have played more decisively. For example, on the previous move it was worth going 10.с5!?

11.Ne1 gxf3 12.gxf3 Nfd7

With the threat to remove the e5 knight.

13.Bd4 Rg8 14.Rc2 Rdf8 15.Rf2 f5!

The advance g5-g4:f3 “cleared” the a8-h1 diagonal for the bishop. Now with the move f7-f5 Black is already starting a direct attack.

16.Qe2 fxe417.fxe4 Ng4!

“Vasily Ivanovich” appeared again - in a fur hat, with a sword drawn and on a black horse :-)

White's position is critical.
__________________________________

That's the kind of hedgehog he is! To be continued.

Date added: 06/06/2009

Basic principles of construction, ideas, philosophy of the "hedgehog".

Having become seriously interested in chess, I began to “wander” the Internet in search of chess literature. I was especially interested in all sorts of traps and combinations. And I came across a relatively new book by Garry Kasparov about opening novelties. The first section of this book was devoted to the “Hedgehog” system. For me, this section was a real revolution in the chess theory I had already studied. This system is not just a separate trap or combination for the opponent, but a whole complex of formations and combinations - from the opening to the endgame. I have already looked for specific materials on this system. I tried to carefully study everything I found and began to put it into practice.

So, let’s begin introducing you, dear readers, to the “hedgehog” world of chess. In the future, I will use the words “hedgehog”, “hedgehog”, “needle”, “prickly” in the material without quotation marks. Let the reader understand these words in a chess sense, and not in a zoological one.

A little history. The first games with the hedgehog appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. Certainly their quality as a whole was far from perfect, but even then some talented pioneers found the correct arrangement of figures and methods counterplay. Name HEDGEHOG this system received with the light hand of the English grandmaster William Hartstone. If anyone doesn’t know him, they may remember one of his, in my opinion, brilliant sayings “ Chess is not something that drives a person crazy; Chess is what keeps a mad man sane» .

In chess theory, the word hedgehog refers to a pawn structure with black pawns on the sixth row or white pawns on the third row. Here is an approximate hedgehog position.

Four black pawns bristle along the sixth rank like needles and control the squares of the fifth rank. Black's pieces are securely hidden behind a protective barrier. All this resembles a forest hedgehog curled up in a ball, which a wild wolf is trying to attack. At any moment, the hedgehog is ready to straighten its needles (pawns b, d or e) and painfully prick the enemy.

The fifth horizontal line is a kind of front-line zone. Opponents maneuver their pieces in the spaces allotted to them until the 15th, and sometimes until the 20th move. For whites it is limited to four horizontal lines, for blacks - three. The appearance of a pawn or piece on the fifth rank means the beginning of an open clash of forces. And the one who is better prepared for this wins.

There are a huge number of all possible modifications of hedgehog positions, many of which have no real theoretical value. But the most important thing is that a hedgehog is usually called a scheme in which the white “d” pawn is exchanged for the black “c” pawn, while White often has a pawn on c4, and in front of it is the hedgehog armor on e6, d6 and b6. The position of the black pawn is mandatory on e6, and not on e7. Without this thorny element, the structure of the black pawns resembles a dragon from Sicilian defense, but not like a hedgehog. For example in the next game

1. e2 - e4 c7 - c5

2. Kg1 - f3 d7 - d6

3. d2 - d4 c5: d4

4. Kf3: d4 Kg8 - f6

5. Kb1 - c3 g7 - g6

6. Cc1 - e3 Cf8 - g7

7. f2 - f3 0 - 0

8. Qd1 - d2 Kb8 - c6

As soon as the pawn finally moves to e6, covering the fifth row square on d5 from white pieces, the dragon can turn into a Sicilian hedgehog of the same size!

A giant leap in the development of the hedgehog system was made in the 70s. Yet, until this time, such a system was considered just pampering, a way to simply surprise an opponent. Although Richard Reti once followed a similar hedgehog strategy. Remember the debut of the same name developed and implemented by him ( Reti's debut). He developed the pieces no further than the third rank for White, allowing the opponent to create a strong pawn center, and began active actions only after thorough preparation. Here's how Reti himself played in one of the games:

1. Ng1 - f3 d7 - d5

2. c2 - c4 c7 - c6!

3. b2 - b4 Cc8 - f5

4. Cc1 - b2 Kg8 - f6

5. g2 - g3 e7 - e6

6. Cf1 - g2 Kb8 - d7

7. 0 - 0 h7 - h6!

This is not a hedgehog yet, but the main thoughts of this position and the hedgehog’s position coincide.

Ljubomir Ljuboevich, Ulf Andersson, Portisch, Polugaevsky, Garry Kasparov became ardent adherents of the hedgehog system. Once there is a beast, “hunters” always appear to hunt it. Such chess players primarily include Viktor Korchnoi, Ullman and Anatoly Karpov. They perceived this system as a personal challenge and tried to refute it at every opportunity. This is the position that arose in the hedgehog hunter game of grandmaster V. Ullman. In it he played an opening called English beginning.

1. c2 - c4 c7 - c5

2. Kg1 - f3 Kg8 - f6

3. Kb1 - c3 e7 - e6

4. g2 - g3 b7 - b6

5. Cf1 - g2 Cc8 - b7

6. 0 - 0 Cf8 - e7

7. d2 - d4 c5: d4

8. Qd1: d4 d7 - d6

Before the final construction of the hedgehog system, all that remains is to advance the a7 pawn to a6. Which is what happened in this game.

10. Qd4 - e3 0 - 0

11. Kf3 - d4 Kb8 - d7

12. b2 - b3 Qd8 - c7

13. Cc1 - b2 Rf8 - e8

Black built a typical "English" hedgehog with white's fianchetted bishops.

What are the main advantages of the Hedgehog, the reader may ask?

the side capturing the space has problems protecting its outposts - fields e4 And c4, especially when there are pawns or pieces there;

An opponent playing against a hedgehog always runs the risk of falling into a psychological trap: he develops a feeling of superiority of his position, and with it a thirst for attack. Even analyzes of computer programs show a persistent advantage of the “hunters” position, but at the same time they do not indicate plans and ideas! A couple of sharp, careless moves - and that’s it, the position of the white pieces crumbles like a house of cards. The black figures straighten out like a spring. And woe to the white king;

With good preparation, it is easier to play a hedgehog - each piece knows its place on the chess field. You can calmly make many moves without wasting time and waiting for your opponent’s inaccuracy. That's why the hedgehog is very good at Swiss. The opponents have no time to seriously prepare, and no one has ever been able to understand all the hedgehog’s tricks in one morning, even with a computer.

I will try to convey to the reader the basic ideas and principles of Hedgehog. And after reading them, decide whether or not to play this system, both for the prickly animal and for its hunter. After all, a hedgehog is always the fruit of mutual consent of the parties. Whites may not allow it.

These are the basic principles, ideas, philosophy of the game according to the Hedgehog system. I don’t encourage everyone to play the hedgehog, but I think it’s necessary to be prepared for it.

P.S. When writing this article on “The Hedgehog”, the following sources were used:

Garry Kasparov “Debut revolution of the 70s” Moscow, RIPOL classic, 2007 (Modern chess)

Sergey Shipov, Monograph “Middlegame. System "English Hedgehog". Moscow, 2000

VC. Bagirov "English beginning", Moscow, Physical Culture and Sports, 1989.

Sergey Shipov, "Hedgehog. Predators on the chessboard: a textbook of strategy and tactics" "Moscow, RIPOL classic, 2005 (The Art of Chess)

Internet resources, including Wikipedia, and a number of other materials, the listing of which may take a lot of space.