Introduction to the system "Hedgehog". "Let me get closer" While playing chess with a hedgehog
Good evening!
Having seen today's clip of the cult Soviet film, perhaps someone will decide: "well ... today is a day off in chess."
:-) But no! Today we are talking about heroes civil war, and not about how "the intelligentsia is going beautifully."
I will tell you my personal opinion about a specific formation in chess, which at first looks the same as, at first, the soldiers of the Red Army pressed to the trenches by the Kappelites...
Players playing from the 2nd category and stronger are invited to the monitors. For some of you there will be a great revelation, as once for me.
The system is called "hedgehog". It is characterized by a specific pawn structure.
It often arises from the Sicilian Defence, from the English opening and from New Indian formations.
For example after moves:
1.e4 c5 2.Kf3 Kc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Kxd4 e6
White could now immediately play 5.c4 and indicate the intention to press black thoroughly. But they don't like the fact that the f8-bishop's exit is not closed, and after 5... Kf6 6.Kc3 Bb4 - a position appears that is considered advantageous for black.
Therefore, with 5.Kb5 White provokes the move 5...d6 and only now 6.с4
Now if you remove all the pieces from the board and leave only the pawns, then you can consider the "hedgehog" in detail.
Diagram #1
The specific configuration of the black pawns in the center is the "Sicilian hedgehog". Black intends to confine himself to maneuvering his pieces within the 6th, 7th and 8th rank. Yes, it's tight. But Black doesn't intend to let White go further than the fourth row either! The hedgehog took control of important squares along the 5th rank (c5, d5, e5, f5). These squares are not available for white pieces.
It is also important that "pulling out the thorns" of a hedgehog is not so simple. 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 on c4 and e4, they took black into positional pincers! A good releasing continuation for black would be d6-d5, but that's what the two white sentries are here for. Add to this the semi-open d-file for heavy white pieces and it becomes obvious that the d6-pawn is the weakest link in black's formation.
Another indisputable advantage of White is the greater space for maneuvers provided to him! On 4 ranks, it is much easier to regroup for a strong complex strike than to do the same for black on 3 ranks.
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 what I thought when I looked through the diagrams with a hedgehog in "64" magazines. Everything that I was taught in chess said that White cannot lose here, and Black's passive stance is at most for a draw...
Now, after 25 years, I have a completely different conclusion :-)))
If I know that I have to play against a connoisseur of the hedgehog, or rather probably a "handyman" - I simply won't go for this formation with White :-)) !
Believe me, I am not one of the timid, but it was precisely in the hedgehog that my main chess disappointments were ... A craftsman will feel with his fingertips ANY inaccurate move by White! One careless step and black starts playing to win themselves. There are a lot of nuances there. And hedgehog connoisseurs understand them superbly.
Of course, there are experts in playing these positions for white as well, but for example, I don't consider myself one of them.
What is Black's "compressed spring" based on?
1) You will win the d6-pawn. Black has enough resources to defend it. An attack with a bishop, queen and two rooks fails. And the knights cannot be let down to attack this pawn.
2) The position shown in the diagram No. 1 quickly turns into this:
Diagram #2
The black pieces have enough space to comfortably fit on the queenside. And this is just an appearance that they are standing there like furniture ... they are simply charged to destroy White, at the very first opening of a position.
3) By developing pressure on both advanced e4 and c4 pawns, 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 connoisseur of the hedgehog knows how to "let White come closer" and to wait for a favorable moment in the game for a measured 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 White's space advantage, and almost didn't care about their maneuvers under cover of the pawn-piece center.
He 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 interesting 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 takes up 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 defend the c4-square.
17...Kc5 18.Qc2 b5!
First strike. First, the c4-pawn is eliminated.
19.Qe2 bxc4 20.Rxc4 d5!
Here comes the second hit! Until recently, whites stood in the center like kings...
21.exd5 Nxd5 22.Bf2 Bg5!
The opening of the game happened to Black's advantage, because White's king is weakened, as well as the squares d3 and e3.
On this reverse side of the medal of gaining an advantage in space, rarely anyone pays attention.
Meanwhile, the pawns that have gone far ahead do not return back. There is no longer anything to cover the fields.
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 that it is a pleasure to play it with black
28.Ne4 Nxe4 29.fxe4 Rxc4 30.Rxc4 Rxc4 31.bxc4 Qc7
The sides resorted to mass exchanges, but it is unlikely that White felt better. Four pawn islands against two + the precarious position of White's king - all this dooms him to a difficult defense.
Now it was necessary to play 32... Kb3, but instead they made a gross mistake.
32.a3 Bxd4 33.axb4 Qxg3
with a decisive advantage for Black.
Fragment #2
It would seem that 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 black to suddenly "flood" on you - a minimal nuance is enough! In this case (who would have thought!) Black was attracted by the modest pawn h2!
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 CCM, but in a hedgehog - he was a grandmaster! :-))) In the same way, every time he opened my white positions like tin cans. I did not understand at all how to fight him in blitz :-)
Now the bishop on e3 and the pawn on h2 unexpectedly 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 a panic!
18.Bxd4 Nh519.Bf2 Nf4
The beginning of a formidable piece attack on the white king, moreover, the a3-knight is out of play.
A position with a large advantage for Black.
Fragment #3
Do you understand anything? Why would White's positions be worse????
They have the most balanced position. There are no weaknesses. This time even h2 is covered (!!!)
In general, there is not a single piece or pawn that would stand badly for White.
Black's cynicism in this fragment is that he doesn't give a damn about the spatial advantage, and the fact that White has everything protected in excess.
1... Kh8!
Once this plan was used by Bobby Fischer against Tukmakov and many people started playing like this... Black plans to simply play 2... Rg8 and then by throwing the g-pawn just out of the blue to get the initiative against the white king.
2.Nc2 Rg8 3.Qe3 Rge8
Looks like a mockery of whites! They seem to be playing with the whites: "I can go there, I can return."
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 (on occasion) b6-b5.
7.Qb2 Ne5
The only way to drive the knight out of here is to move 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. A modestly standing bishop on a8... only two white pawns will separate it from the king.
In general, I will say this. White certainly could have played more decisively. For example, on the previous move, it was worth playing 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 f7-f5 Black is already launching a direct attack.
16.Qe2 fxe417.fxe4 Ng4!
"Vasily Ivanovich" appeared again - in a hat, with a saber unsheathed and on a black horse :-)
White's position is critical.
__________________________________
Here he is such a "hedgehog"! To be continued.
Good day, dear friend!
According to experts, in life this small animal will not miss the opportunity to bite with its sharp teeth. The book by Sergei Shipov - Hedgehog: A Textbook of Strategy and Tactics - will introduce us to the chess analogue of this wonderful animal.
Name: Hedgehog: A textbook of strategy and tactics
Publication: 2005, Ripol publishing house
Volume 570 pages
What is this book about?
In chess, the term "hedgehog" means a pawn structure with the arrangement of some black pawns in the 6th row (white, respectively, in the 3rd row). For example:
In addition to external similarities, constructions of this type are similar to a forest animal and fighting tactics.
Black spends a long time in purely defensive maneuvers under cover of the pawn pawn. In order to open up at a convenient moment and “bite” the opponent.
There are a huge number of possible modifications of the hedgehog positions. The book discusses the most popular, commonly used.
The intention of the book is not only to describe the part of the Hedgehog, but also to consider in detail the ideas in the example of games. For this purpose, the games are given in full, with comments up to the very denouement.
about the author
Sergei Yurievich Shipov(born 1966) - Soviet and Russian grandmaster. Well-known chess expert, coach, writer. One of the best if not the best chess commentator.
Sergey Yuryevich's online reports from tournaments attract a huge number of Internet users, thanks to his manner of reporting competently and interestingly for the viewer.
Read more about Sergey Shipov at.
The book is very voluminous and consists of 3 large parts:
- English Hedgehog
- Hedgehog and pawn f3
- rare hedgehogs
Each part has several chapters.
Summary
Not all grandmaster-level games are in the book. However, this is for the best. For, it is against not the strongest chess players that 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 he managed to reveal many secrets of this discreet, but "prickly" construction, mysterious and original. If one of the readers was imbued with sympathy for the hedgehog and wanted to play it, the task is completed.
Download a book in djvu format
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Date added: 06/06/2009
The basic principles of construction, ideas, philosophy "hedgehog".
Having become seriously interested in chess, I began to “wander” on 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, combinations - from the opening to the endgame. I have already searched for specific materials on this system. Everything I found, I tried to carefully study and began to put into practice.
So, let's start introducing you, dear readers, into the "hedgehog" world of chess. In the future, I will use the words “hedgehog”, “hedgehog”, “needle”, “prickly” in the material without quotes. Let the reader understand these words in a chess sense, and not in a zoological sense.
A bit of history. The first parties with a hedgehog appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. Of course their quality as a whole was far from perfect, but even then some talented pioneers found the right arrangements of figures and methods counterplay. Name HEDGEHOG this system received light hand English grandmaster William Hartston. If someone does not know him, then he can remember one of his, in my opinion, brilliant statement “ Chess is not something that drives a person crazy; Chess is what keeps a crazy person sane» .
In chess theory, the word hedgehog means a pawn structure with the arrangement of 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 stab the enemy painfully.
The fifth horizontal is a kind of frontline zone. Opponents up to 15, and sometimes up to 20 moves, maneuver their pieces in the spaces allotted to them. For White it is limited to four horizontals, for Black it is limited to 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 various modifications of hedgehog positions, many of them have no real theoretical value. But most importantly, 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 on e6 is obligatory, and not on e7. Without this prickly element, the structure of black pawns resembles a dragon from Sicilian Defense, but not like a hedgehog. For example, in the next batch
1. e2-e4 c7-c5
2. Kg1-f3 d7-d6
3.d2-d4 c5:d4
4. Nf3: d4 Kg8-f6
5. Kb1-c3 g7-g6
6. Bc1-e3 Bf8-g7
7. f2 - f3 0 - 0
8. Qd1 - d2 Kb8 - c6
As soon as the pawn still goes 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 breakthrough in the development of the EJ system was made in the 70s. Yet until that time, such a system was considered only pampering, a way to simply surprise an opponent. Although Richard Reti adhered to a similar hedgehog strategy in his time. Remember the opening of the same name developed and implemented by him ( Reti's debut). He developed pieces no further than White's third rank, allowing his opponent to create a strong pawn center, and began active operations only after thorough preparation. Here is 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. Bf1-g2 Kb8-d7
7. 0 - 0 h7 - h6!
This is not a hedgehog yet, but the main ideas of this position and the hedgehog are the same.
Lubomir Lyuboevich, Ulf Andersson, Portisch, Polugaevsky, Garry Kasparov became ardent adherents of the hedgehog system. Once there is a beast, “hunters” always appear for it. First of all, such chess players include Viktor Korchnoi, Ulman and Anatoly Karpov. They perceived this system as a personal challenge and at every opportunity tried to refute it. Such a position arose in the game of the "hedgehog hunter" grandmaster V. Ulman. In it, he played with white 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, it remains only to advance the a7-pawn to a6. What followed in this party.
10. Qd4-e3 0-0
11. Nf3-d4 Kb8-d7
12. b2 - b3 Qd8 - c7
13. Cc1-b2 Rf8-e8
Black built a typical "English" hedgehog with fiancheted bishops for White.
What are the main advantages of the Hedgehog, the reader will ask?
the side occupying the space has problems defending its outposts - fields e4 and с4, especially when there are pawns or pieces;
an opponent playing against a hedgehog always runs the risk of falling into a psychological trap: he has a feeling of superiority of his position, and with it the thirst for attack. Even analyzes of computer programs show a strong 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 pieces straighten out like a spring. And woe to the white king;
with good preparation, it is easier to play the hedgehog - each of their pieces knows its place on the chess field. You can calmly make many moves without wasting time and waiting for the opponent's inaccuracies. Therefore, the hedgehog is very good in Swiss. Opponents have no time to seriously prepare, and in one morning no one has managed to understand all the tricks of the hedgehog, even with a computer.
I will try to convey to the reader the main ideas and principles of the Hedgehog. And after reading them, decide whether or not to play this system for you as a prickly animal, so for its hunter. After all, a hedgehog is always the fruit of the mutual consent of the parties. White may not allow it.
These are the basic principles, ideas, philosophy of the game according to the Hedgehog system. I do not urge everyone to play the hedgehog without exception, but I consider it necessary to be ready for it.
P.S. The following sources were used in writing this article on The Hedgehog:
Garry Kasparov "Debut Revolution of the 70s" Moscow, RIPOL classic, 2007 (Modern chess)
Sergei Shipov, Monograph “Middlespiel. "English Hedgehog" system. Moscow, 2000
VC. Baghirov "English beginning", Moscow, Physical culture and sport, 1989
Sergei Shipov, "Hedgehog. Predators on chessboard: a textbook of strategy and tactics "" Moscow, RIPOL classic, 2005 (Art of chess)
Internet resources, including Wikipedia, and a number of other materials, the listing of which can take up a lot of space.
