Hedgehog (chess)

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Example of a fully developed black hedgehog pose

In chess, a hedgehog is a type of position that is primarily characterized by a certain pawn structure in the opening and in the middle game . This structure was considered unfavorable until the 1960s. It came into vogue in the 1970s due to the success that some young grandmasters achieved with it. Today the hedgehog is widely recognized. The name "Hedgehog", German "Igel", probably goes back to William Hartston .

Positional characteristics

The hedgehog owes its name to its passive but effective peasant wall on the queenside . A generally recognized definition of the hedgehog position does not yet exist. The hedgehog describes a space-saving, black structure. However, it can be stated that at least the following characteristics must be met in order to be able to speak of a hedgehog position:

• the white d-pawn is exchanged for the black c-pawn in such a way that white then has the half-open d-file, while black has the half-open c-file. Usually this exchange takes place on the square d4 (if Black hits first) or c5 (if White hits first)
• the black pawns (with the exception of the c-pawns that have already been exchanged) do not initially move beyond the sixth row
• the black e-pawn is on e6
• the white c-pawn is on c4
• the white e-pawn is on e4 ( not necessarily in the English hedgehog )

In addition, it is common

• that Black puts the queen's bishop on the diagonal a8 – h1, which usually happens with a fianchetto after b7,
• The pawns are initially placed on h7 (h6), g7 (g6), f7, d6, b6 and a6
• and the queen knight does not move to c6 (where it would stand in the way of the queen bishop and make counterplay on the c-file difficult), but to d7 and the king knight to f6.

Positions that only meet some of the minimum criteria (e.g. white c-pawn on c2 instead of c4 or black pawn on e7 instead of e6) are commonly referred to as hedgehogs .

The hedgehog is mainly used by black, but it is also possible to aim for him with white in a suit (see e.g. the hedgehog-like game Fischer - Andersson , Siegen 1970).

Historical development

Until the 1960s, the hedgehog position was considered a disadvantageous structure. The general opinion was that Black was in a depressed position and condemned to passive defense. Strong players usually avoided this structure. However, Fritz Sämisch chose an exact hedgehog structure against Karel Opočenský in Bad Pistyan in 1922 . A hedgehog position was also on the board in a game played in 1967 in Moscow by the two ex-world champions Michail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslow .

The Yugoslav Grand Master Ljubomir Ljubojević is considered to be the pioneer of hedgehog construction . He introduced this structure in 1973 as a response to the English opening in the Grand Master’s practice and was successful that year against Vlastimil Hort , Lew Polugajewski , Wolfgang Uhlmann , Lajos Portisch and Arturo Pomar . Ljubojevic's successes convinced his friend Ulf Andersson to play like that too. In 1975 Andersson succeeded in teaching Anatoli Karpov his first defeat as world champion with the hedgehog structure.

Soon numerous grandmasters added the hedgehog structure to their repertoire, including Florin Gheorghiu , Lajos Portisch , Zoltán Ribli , András Adorjan and Lew Polugajewski. Karpov himself defended himself twice with the hedgehog in 1975 and 1977. In the early 1980s, the young grandmasters Lev Psachis , Ľubomír Ftáčnik and Garri Kasparow followed this fashion trend. At the 1979 interzonal tournament in Riga, Adorjan had to win with Black against Tony Miles in order to qualify for the candidate competitions. He chose the hedgehog and won a brilliant game. Ftacnik won another spectacular and well-known game at the 1982 Chess Olympiad in Lucerne against Polugajewski.

Matthias Wahls , who wrote a series of magazine articles about the hedgehog, and Frank Zeller , who wrote the first detailed monograph on the subject in German, made important contributions to popularizing the hedgehog among German club players .

Emergence

Hedgehog positions only arise if both sides agree; so white has the opportunity to avoid the hedgehog by z. B. not moving his c-pawn to c4 or by playing d2 – d4 early and answering c7 – c5 with d4 – d5. They can arise from different openings, such as from the English opening , from Sicilian , from Nimzo Indian or from Lady Indian . Only the so-called English hedgehog has its own opening code (A 30) .

Classic move orders are

1. c2 – c4 c7 – c5 2. Nb1 – c3 Ng8 – f6 3. g2 – g3 e7 – e6 4. Ng1 – f3 b7 – b6 5. Bf1 – g2 Bc8 – b7 6. 0–0 Bf8 – e7 7. d2-d4 c5xd4 8. Qd1xd4 d7-d6

and in the Taimanow variant

1. e2 – e4 c7 – c5 2. Ng1 – f3 e7 – e6 3. d2 – d4 c5xd4 4. Nf3xd4 Nb8 – c6 5. Nd4 – b5 d7 – d6 6. c2 – c4 Ng8 – f6 7. Nb1 – c3 a7 -A6 8. Nb5-a3 Bf8-e7 9. Bf1-e2 0-0 10. 0-0 b7-b6

Meanwhile, Black also plays the hedgehog in the Paulsen variation after 5. Bf1 – d3 Bf8 – c5 6. Nd4 – b3 Bc5 – e7 7. Qd1 – g4 g7 – g6 8. Qd1 – e2 d7 – d6 9. c2 – c4 Nb8 -D7 and 5. c2-c4 Ng8 -f6 6. Nb1-c3 Qd8-c7 7. a2-a3 b7-b6

White can fight the hedgehog in different ways: with the bishops on e2 and e3, with the bishops on g2 and b2, with the bishops on d3 and e3 or with the bishops on b2 and d3.

Strategic and psychological motives

In the hedgehog position, White is often objectively better. But in order to overcome Black's defense, he has to play tactically very precisely, which overwhelms many white players. On the other hand, the hedgehog is easy for Black to play: he defends his position and waits until White becomes active or until there is a favorable opportunity to advance in the center .

Then both players have to switch from calm positional maneuvering to an open position full of dynamism, to concrete play from move to move.

In addition to the passive defense and waiting for the advances d6 – d5 or b6 – b5 (sometimes also e6 – e5 when f2 – f4 was played) Black can also expand on the kingside in some positions with Kg8 – h8, Rf8 – g8, Aim for g7-g5, Tg8-g6 and Tc8-g8. Or he prepares against White's h2 pawn with Qb8 and Bc7. The attack by the black h-pawn until after h3 to loosen the white king position has already been seen.

Mark Dworetzki wrote in one of his textbooks about the typical problem of white versus hedgehog positions: "White is ideal, but the word itself contains its whole problem, an ideal can no longer be improved."

literature

• Magnus Georg Grabitz: Chess for hedgehogs. The “fable” -like introduction to a current middlegame system . Düsseldorf 1990, ISBN 3-7919-0332-2 .
• Garry Kasparov: 'Hedgehog' system; In: ders .: Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess: Revolution in the 70's . Everyman, London 2007. ISBN 978-1-85744-422-3 .
• Jurgen Kaufeld / Guido Kern: Fighting against the Hedgehog . In: Grandmaster Chess Strategy. What Amateurs Can Learn from Andersson's Positional Masterpieces , New in Chess, Alkmaar 2011. Chapter 8, pp. 103-112. ISBN 978-90-5691-346-5 .
• Alexander Khalifman : The Hedgehog & Double Fianchetto Systems . In: ders .: 1. Nf3 - Opening for White according to Kramnik . Chess Stars, Sofia 2001. Vol. 2, chap. 3, pp. 64-119. ISBN 954-8782-18-9 .
• Stefan Löffler / Lubomir Ftacnik: Lost in the Informator [Lubomir Ftacnik on his hedgehog game against Polugajewski], Lucerne 1982. [3] . In: Karl. The cultural chess newspaper , 2, 2001, pp. 50–53.
• Mihai Suba : The Hedgehog . London 2000, ISBN 0-7134-8696-1 .
• Matthias Wahls : The Hedgehog [essay series]. In: Schach , 2-11 (2002), 1-4, 6-8, 10-11 (2003), 1, 3, 6-7, 10 (2004), 2, 5, 10, 12 (2005), ISSN  0048-9328 .
• John Watson : Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy. Advances since Nimzowitsch . Gambit, London 2002, pp. 125-133, 228-230.
• Frank Zeller : Sicilian in the spirit of the hedgehog . Kania, Schwieberdingen 2000, ISBN 3-931192-15-6 .

Web links

• Matthias Wahls on the hedgehog ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on May 20, 2012)
• Mihai Șubă's collection of games on the hedgehog

Individual evidence

1. ↑ At least this is what Garry Kasparov (2007) writes. Hartston played a hedgehog against Viktor Korchnoi as early as 1971 ; see. chessgames.com
2. ↑ In Zeller 2000, p. 8 it says with regard to the definition of the hedgehog position: "... it is not easy, let alone unambiguous". This is also clear from the 'definition' offered by Suba 2000, p. 43: "The Hedgehog is a manner of defense and counterattack that, to the classical eye, might appear unorthodox."
3. ↑ In this regard, those games are instructive in which Black regroups his queen knight, initially played on c6, mostly over e5 in order to get a more harmonious line-up of pieces. This often happens in openings in which the Nc6 is initially correct, but proves to be disruptive the moment the structure turns into a hedgehog. Compare with the following parts opened with the English symmetry variant: [1]
4. ↑ Cf. on this the maneuver that occurs particularly in the Taimanov variant of the Sicilian Defense of regrouping the Nc6, which is bad in the hedgehog sense, via e5 or b8 to d7; see e.g. B. the black 11th train in Sandipan - Nisipeanu, Pune 2004 .
5. ↑ See in particular Zeller 2000, pp. 12–13, on the fundamental differences associated with this.
6. ↑ See e.g. B. Daniel King's commentary on Krivoshey - Andersson, Bundesliga 2004 ( memento from October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
7. ↑ [2] : The position is not a real hedgehog because the black c-pawn remains on c7.
8. ↑ Karel Opocensky vs Friedrich Saemisch ( English ) Chessgames Services LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
9. ^ Karpov - Andersson, Milano 1975
10. ↑ Polugajewski - Ftacnik, Lucerne 1982
11. ↑ "The Hedgehog cannot be an independent system because its set-up reqires mutual co-operation", says Suba 2000, p. 43.
12. ↑ A very detailed list of the beginnings of the game that can lead to the hedgehog can be found in Wahls 2002, issue 10, pp. 58–60 and issue 11, pp. 46–48. Wahls emphasizes that his list, which gives more than 50 different train orders, is not complete.