h4: The ultimate counter to hypermodern systems!

How many times have you played against hypermodern openings? Against 1. d4, they include the King's Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6) and Dutch Defense (1. d4 f5); Against 1. e4, they include the Modern Defense (1. e4 g6).

They have gained much popularity, being known as solid and defensive. But what if I told you that a very simple move will absolutely break through into their position and give you fantastic win rates as White? Today I'll be looking at these openings, and sharing some tips on how to demolish Black's position in a couple of moves.

As the title suggests, the secret to countering the move g6 by Black is the awesome move h4! This move is very aggressive as it immediately attacks the kingside, where Black has fianchettoed their bishop, and is usually followed by h5 if Black does not respond. This forces some immediate responses from your opponent and you'll be in a very active position in a few moves. 

Now let's look at some specific examples to see how powerful h4 is.

King's Indian Defense

Another nice idea in the KID, sacrificing the h-pawn early on for an open file and attack:

Dutch Defense

Modern Defense

Conclusion

Hopefully you can see from the above examples that h4 is a sound and aggressive move that immediately unbalances the position: there are many traps that your opponent could walk into, and it's absolutely fatal if you know how to convert those winning positions. 

I'll also be publishing an article on how to play the hypermodern systems later next week, to teach you the most common lines and opening traps. Until then, keep playing!