Hedgehog (Shipov's Books)

lol seems like I have to post some exciting slav games tomorrow ;)

I find it amusing reading articles or posts where the "expert" is like "gasp!" in game 1 they played the Gruenfeld. I don't even know how to play it yet and I predicted in a post on this site that it would be played in at least one game. It is vogue with the GMs this season. What nerd would be caught dead using last season's opening. It would be like Paris Hilton wearing last fall's Versache collection. You'll see the Queen's Indian, Bongo, King Kong, Dingaling-Dong, Mars, Jupiter...etc..

I have friends in Oslo and I got a copy of Carlsen's opening bag of tricks. He is playing the Hedgehog on Tuesday as Black.

it's definitely an interesting opening structure and carlsen has played it before.  i saw locally a strong fm destroy a strong gm in 20 moves in the structure in an absolutely gorgeous game that i cannot quite remember.

i have shipov's book, kindle edition, in terms of concepts i liked what i have seen far very much, in terms of concrete analysis, i will have to do more of the work myself but it seems to me a good starting pt on the structure.

most memorable hedgehog game that i can think of atm:

i play the scheveningen najdorfs so the structure is not entirely unfamiliar to me.

@Petrosianic: Thanks for the game. Too bad you don't remember the other one. Have you dabbled with the Hedgehog? don't know if you read this entire thread. Apparently it is not posssible to force this opening as either Black or White...your opponent can prevent the opening. However, do you know if it is possible to force a Hedgehog-like structure, and if so, how to do so?

SWEET! Thanks.

BTW, Hedgehog CAN be played as White I discovered. It is rare I believe.

XPLAYA == something is wrong with the second to last diagram. Is it supposed to move? It doesn't.

Oh maybe that was intentional -- for it to be a static diagram. I got so excited and read it too quickly.

I don't get it. White's opening looks pretty passive to me. Why do they have an advantage?

And he opened with 1.b3. They said it couldn't be done. They said man could not walk on the moon. They said Phelps could not win nine gold medals. They said Chicken_Monster could not learn how to respond to 1.e4 with 1...e5.

Nice find.

Hi Chicken Monster,

The Hedgehog is an amazing opening, and is assuredly not a passive openng. It is a counterattacking opening. BLack simply gets all his pieces ready for the attack before attacking.

The hedgehog philosophy is something like this (paraphrasing the illustrous Sergey Shipov):

The Hedgehog Philosophy:

If you have a big house, it is often messy. You leave things lying around here and there. If you have a small house, it is often very neat and tidy. You need every square-inch of space, thus this is a nessecity.

Likewise, in chess, white's space is often quite ...messy. White's forces are spread out between 4 ranks ... white's army is often spread thin. Black on the other hand is confined to 3 ranks ... black's army is very organized, and is ready to take advantage of the sector of the board that white's forces are spread the most thin.

The Hedgehog Pyschology:

White will often be desperate to punish you for your setup, strong as though it is. This means that white will often overexert and overextend himself, running into the little quills of the hedgehog.Then, THIS is the time to strike back. White will feel as if your defense is ...chessically incorrect. White will also feel as if he is in a superior position. This overconfidence coupled with his overexertion will lead to his downfall.

Some Typical Hedgehog Manuevers:

• 1...b5 is a key breakthrough.
• 1...d5 is a key breakthrough.
• 1...f5 is less common yet still important breakthrough to know. It can be setup following 0-0,Ne8,1...f5. Timing is everything for all of these breakthroughs.
• Qc7,Rc8,Qb8,Qa8 (the queen now lends support to the fianchettoed bishop).
• When confronted by a kingside attack, do not push your pawns to stop it (g6,h6,f6). Instead play moves such as Ne8,Bd8, and curl up into your little ball until the attack is over.

Ideal Piece Placement:

Nb8 on Nbd7(and possibly to c5 then e6). On d7 this knight serves a mainly defensive purpose, defending the b-pawn and e5 square (a critical square in the hedgehog). However, on black's whim, the knight can make a leap to c5, attacking c5. IF nessecary the knight can rebound to e6.

Ng8 on Nf6 followed by Ne8. On e8, the knight serves a purely defensive purpose, defending the d6 pawn. However, another reason for Ne8 is to allow f5!, after which, if the d-pawn is sufficiently defended, the knight shall go back to f6 behind the f-pawn.

Bc8 goes to Bb7. This is where the entire future of the bishop lies, and another reason why the breakthrough d5 or f5 is important. The bishop eyes the e4 pawn, yet black must make this come to fruition by exerting more pressure on the pawn.

Qd8 goes to c7, then b8 and a8. Here it exerts pressure on the e4 pawn, a very important thing. The queen and b7 bishop form a battery.

Rh8 often stays on f8 to support the f5 breakthrough after 0-0. However, should black wish to employ the d5 breakthrough instead, Rfd8 is prefferable.

Ra8 always goes to c8, to exert pressure on the open file. There is the possibiltiy of doubling up rooks on the c-file. The thing to notice about the posiiton of the c8 rook, however, is that it will forever target the c2 pawn.

Bf8 goes to e7 and usually plays a part in the defense of the d6 pawns. It's future lies in four directions:

(1) It can backpedal to d8 and take up a post on b6 in the event of a weak g1-a7 diagonal.

(2) It can roam along the d8-h4 diagonal, taking up post on g6, f6, and maybe even h4.

(3) It can go to f8, protecting g7 pawn. This should only be employed in the case of a kingside attack,however.

(4) And, my favorite square for the bishop, is on d8 (assuming the d6 pawn is sufficiently defended, often a B on d8 will be impossible as black will need that bishop for defensive duties). The reason for the power of the bishop on d8 is that it simultaneouly controls two sectors of the board - queenside and kingsde, and simultaneously controls the two extremely important h4-d8 diagonal and d8-a5 diagonal.

Pawn Placement: Pawns on h7,g7,f7,e6,d6,b6,and a6.

Book Recommendations:

Definetely, definetely get Sergey Shipov's Volume 1 and Volume 2. Volume 1 is only English Hedgehog, Volume 2 is Hedgehog against e4. This is an absolutely marvelous book, and I own it myself and think it is absolutely amazing, hands down marvelous. I have gotten practically all the ideas listed here from that book. The Introduction and Hedgehog Philisophy is one of the best parts of the books. Even if you don't plan on studying theory but just want to play the Hedgehog with plans, get Volume 1 which has a huge section dedicated the Hedgehog Philosophy, Hedgehog Psychology, and Hedgehog Plans. Highly Highly Recommended ... one of the best purchases I've made.

Illustrative Games and Final Notes:

Remeber that in the Hedgehog, you have got to setup your pieces in their ideal positions. You must first brave the first wave of attack, then launch an attack yourself. The Hedgehog is NOT a passive defense ... it is a counteraatacking defense. At times, it is best to intersperse an attack of your own in the middle of your opponent's attack ... as I did in the game below. Remeber the hedgehog breakthroughs - b5,d5,f5. Remeber the queen manuever, the g8 knight manuever, and the f8 bishop manuever. These are all talked about in this post.

Regarding possible transpoistions to the Hedgehog, my favorite is the Sicilian Kan. White is practically forced to enter a Hedgehog, he has nothing else he can do. The SIcilian Kan goes like this:

Always remember not to rush your breakthroughs, do it when the time is right. You will need to play the Hedgehog quite a few times to get a good understanding of when to play these breakthroughs. It is quite important not to rush them.

Also, make sure to make your development of your bishop to b7 a prioirity, and make sure to, on the subsequent move, defend this bishop with Qc7. Why? After White develops his bishop to g2 and castles, white is threatening e5. This move releases a discovered attack on your bishop and attacks your knight on e5, forcing your to spoil your pawn strucuture with ...Bxg2 2.Kxg2 Nd7 3.exd6 +=. Do not let this happen. Thus a rule of thumb: When the White bishop arrives on g2, develop yours to b7 immediately. On the subsequent move, following a white 0-0, develop your queen to c7.

I sincerely hope that this post was helpful and informative, and that I provided useful information that does not overwhelm. Happy Hedgehog Playing, and Best Wishes!

TasmanianTiger

P.S. By the way, please respond to this post to give me your thoughts and comment please!

Very elucidating. Thank you for a great post. I will save this entire thread.

I have heard that the Hedgehog is compact like the animal, but when you get near it there is a vicious expansion and attack.

I have also heard it is more suitable for very experienced players. Perhaps something I should wait a bit on. The analysis in the Shipov books is supposed to be phenomenal and instructive, even if you choose not to implement the opening.

Do you use in the opening in very many games?