Hedgehog Defence
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The basic Hedgehog formation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In chess, the Hedgehog is a pawn formation adopted by Black that can arise from the English Opening, Queen's Indian Defense, and the Taimanov and Kan Variations of the Sicilian Defence. The Hedgehog Defence in particular refers to variations in the Symmetrical English (1.c4 c5) where black adopts this setup, e.g. 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. 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. 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 (see algebraic chess notation). These pawn breaks are particularly effective because White usually places his own pawns on c4 and e4.
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 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 manouevre. 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 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.
It is also possible for White to adopt a Hedgehog setup, but this happens more rarely.
