Hedgehog (chess)

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Black has the basic Hedgehog formation.

In chess, the Hedgehog is a pawn formation usually adopted by Black that can arise from several openings. Black exchanges his pawn on c5 for White's pawn on d4, and then places pawns on the squares a6, b6, d6 and e6. These pawns form a row of "spines" behind which Black develops his forces. Typically, the bishops are placed on b7 and e7, knights on d7 and f6, queen on c7, and rooks to c8 and e8 (or c8 and d8 – the d8 rook serves to defend the d6 pawn and supports ...d5 push, while allowing the f6 knight access to e8 if needed to defend the pawn on d6). Although Black's position is cramped, it has great latent energy, which may be released if Black is able to play ...b5 or ...d5 at some point. These pawn breaks are particularly effective because White usually places his own pawns on c4 and e4 (the Maróczy Bind).

Once the basic Hedgehog structure is in place, and depending on how White reacts to it, Black has various ways of reorganizing his pieces. The knight on d7 often hops into c5, where it attacks a white pawn on e4; or to e5, where it attacks a pawn on c4. The knight on f6 can go to e8 to defend the d6-pawn, or to d7 or even to h5, if those squares are unoccupied. The black queen can be placed on b8 (unmasking the rook on c8 and perhaps supporting ...b5) or a8 (eyeing d5). Sometimes, Black plays ...Bf8, ...g6 and ...Bg7 (or more simply ...Bf6, if the knight on f6 has moved) to exert some influence over d4, while the same bishop can also be brought via d8 to c7 to target White's kingside (in conjunction with a queen on b8). There are also situations where Black can create a kingside attack by playing, ...Kh8, ...Rg8, and ...g5, often followed by doubling rooks on the g-file and pushing the g-pawn to g4.

Traditional chess strategy would have frowned upon Black's setup, since his pieces have little room in which to manoeuvre. In the early part of the 1970s, "'hedgehog' was a generic term for any setup that was cramped, defensive and difficult to attack", but today refers specifically to this formation. [cite book | last=De Firmian |first=Nick|authorlink=Nick de Firmian | title=Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14 | publisher=David McKay Co. | year=1999 | location=New York|isbn=0812930843|pages=pp.664, 695-696] The Hedgehog first became extensively analysed in the 1970s, when players began to appreciate the rich variety of strategic ideas that arose from it. While Black's position is cramped, it is also relatively free of weaknesses. There is no obvious way for White to attack Black's pawn structure, but as outlined above, Black has several methods at his disposal for creating counterplay. Thus, the Hedgehog has retained its popularity as a system of development in modern praxis.

The ideas behind the Hedgehog were originally developed in the English Opening. The Hedgehog Defence in particular refers a variation in the Symmetrical English (1.c4 c5) where Black adopts this setup: 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.Nc3 e6 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6. Other openings where Black often uses the setup include the Queen's Indian Defence and the Taimanov and Kan Variations of the Sicilian Defence.

It is also possible for White to adopt a Hedgehog setup, but this happens more rarely. However, this did occur in [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1019452 Fischer - Andersson, Siegen 1970] , one of the first games to feature this method of development. Fischer's crushing victory in this game, in which the Kh1/Rg1/g4 method of attack was vividly demonstrated, so impressed Andersson that he later became one of the foremost Hedgehog exponents himself. [cite book
last= Kasparov
first = Garry
authorlink=Garry Kasparov
title=My Great Predecessors, part IV
year=2004
publisher=Everyman Chess
isbn=1857443950]

References