The Hedgehog Opening

The Hedgehog is a system for black against the English which runs 1. c4 c5, 2. Nc3 Nf6, 3. Nf3 b6, 4. g3 Bb7, 5. Bg2 e6, 6. O-O d6, 7. d4 cd, 8. Qxd4 a6, 9. e4 Be7, usually with a different move order [there are many to consider] when black's position has 'spikes' on a6, b6, d6, and e6, and is very difficult to break down. The following diagram shows a typical hedgehog type position.

So basically, the hedgehog involves a queenside fianchetto and pawns on a6 b6 c5 d6 and e6 with black's king's knight on f6 and his or her queen's knight on d7, though it occasionally comes immediately to c6. Bishops should be on e7 and b7. Black's Queen should go to c7, c8, b8, or a8 (after Ra7) depending on white's set up. Move order will depend on white but black should play c5 after c4 and get in b6 before white plays g3. The only case where you can be foiled in this plan is after c4 c5 g3. In this case I recommend Nc6 and then b6 and bb7 not fearing BxN on c6, dc as you could then build an iron grip on the d4 square with e5 g6 Bg7 Nh6 Nf5 Nd4.

The Hedgehog is an extremely resilient opening but it is also quite difficult to handle, whether you are playing against it or with it. Black's plan in the Hedgehog is to shuffle his pieces usefully, preparing the breaks with b5 and d5 as well as generating pressure on the e4 and c4 pawns while ensuring that white cannot break through. White's task is just as difficult, he must restrain the d5 and b5 breaks as well as countering the threats against his c4 and e4 pawns while trying to find some way to make progress. It is very easy for white to overpress and find himself worse. On the other hand, it is also very easy for black to run out of useful moves and begin to drift, which is unadvisable. The key to playing either side of the Hedgehog is an understanding of piece manoeuvring; if that is where your talent lies then this is the opening for you!

Here are some illustrative games played with the hedgehog. We begin by looking at three games played by Adorjan. His 'concise' handling of the hedgehog is most instructive...

Stangl - Adorjan 1989 1. Nf3 c5, 2. c4 Nf6, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. 0-0 d6, 7. d4 cd, 8. Qxd4 a6, 9. Ng5 Bxg2, 10. Kxg2 Be7, 11. Be3 Nbd7, 12. Nge4 Qc7, 13. Rfd1 0-0, 14. Rac1 Rfd8 1/2 - 1/2

Uhlmann - Adorjan 1985.
1. c4 c5, 2. Nf3 Nf6, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. d4 cd, 7. Qxd4 d6, 8. 0-0 a6, 9. e4 Nbd7, 10. Qe3 Be7, 11. Nd4 Qc7, 12. b3 0-0, 13. Bb2 Rfe8, 14. Rfe1 Bf8, 15. Re2 Nc5, 16. Qd2 Rac8, 17. Rd1 Qb8, 18. Qe1 Red8, 1/2 1/2

Adorjan - Suba 1985 1. c4 c5, 2. Nf3 Nf6, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. d4 cd, 7. Qxd4 d6, 8. 0-0 a6, 9. Rd1 Nbd7, 10. Ng5 Bxg2, 11. Kxg2 Rc8, 12. Nge4 Rc6, 13. Bf4 Nxe4, 14. Qxe4 1/2 - 1/2

Here are four demonstrations of how not to play the Hedgehog.

Marcza - Biro 1966 1. Nf3 Nf6, 2. g3 b6, 3. Bg2 Bb7, 4. 0-0 c5, 5. c4 g6, 6. b3 Bg7, 7. Bb2 0-0, 8. d4 cd, 9. Qxd4 Nc6, 10. Qh4 d6, 11. Nc3 h6, 12. Nd5 Nxd5, 13. Bxg7 Kxg7, 14. cd Nb8, 15. Qd4 Kh7, 16. h4 h5, 17. g4 hg, 18. Ng5 Kg8, 19. h5 gh, 20. Be4 f6, 21. Ne6 Qe8, 22. Qd2 1-0

Miralles - Adrian 1989 1. Nf3 Nf6, 2. c4 c5, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. 0-0 d6, 7. e3 Be7, 8. d4 Ne4, 9. Ne2 Nd7, 10. b3 0-0, 11. Bb2 Qc7, 12. Nf4 Ndf6, 13. d5 g5, 14. Ne2 ed, 15. cd Bxd5, 16. Nxg5 Qb7, 17. Nf4 Bc6, 18. Nxe4 Bxe4, 19. Nh5 Nxh5, 20. Qg4 1-0

Stanojevic - Ulibin 1990 1. Nf3 c5, 2. c4 Nf6, 3. g3 b6, 4. Bg2 Bb7, 5. 0-0 e6, 6. Nc3 Be7, 7. d4 cd, 8. Qxd4 d6, 9. Bg5 a6, 10. Bxf6 Bxf6, 11. Qf4 Bxf3, 12. Qxf3 Ra7, 13. Rfd1 0-0, 14. Rd2 Qc7, 15. Ne4 Be7, 16. Qf4 Qxc4, 17. Nf6 1-0

Suba - Ibanez 1993 1. Nf3 Nf6, 2. c4 c5, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. 0-0 Be7, 7. d4 cd, 8. Qxd4 0-0, 9. Rd1 Na6, 10. Bf4 Nc5, 11. Bd6 Bxd6, 12. Qxd6 Nce4, 13. Nxe4 Bxe4, 14. Rd4 Qc8, 15. g4 Rd8, 16. g5 Ne8, 17. Qf4 d5, 18. Ne5 f6, 19. gf gf, 20. Bxe4 fe, 21. Bxh7 Kh8, 22. Qf8 Qxh7, 23. Rg4 1-0

And here are a couple of examples which show how black should play the hedgehog! The second game features one of my favourite players having an off day(!)

Bounena - Gutierrez 1988 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 c5, 3. Nf3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. Bg2 Bb7, 6. Nc3 cd, 7. Qxd4 Nc6, 8. Qd1 Bb4, 9. 0-0 0-0, 10. e3 Na5, 11. Qa4 Bxc3, 12. bc Qc7, 13. c5 bc, 14. Rb1 Bc6, 15. Qh4 Rab8, 16. Ba3 d6, 17. Nd2 Bxg2, 18. Kxg2 Qc6, 19. Kg1 Qd5, 20. Rbd1 Qc6, 21. e4 Qa4, 22. Bc1 Nc6, 23. Rfe1 Ne5, 24. Re3 Qxd1 0-1

Larsen - Suba 1. c4 c5, 2. Nf3 Nf6, 3. Nc3 e6, 4. g3 b6, 5. e4 Bb7, 6. d3 d6, 7. Bg2 Be7, 8. 0-0 0-0, 9. Re1 a6, 10. d4 cd, 11. Qxd4 Nbd7, 12. b3 Qc7, 13. Bb2 Rac8, 14. Re2 Rfd8, 15. Qe3 Bf8, 16. Nd4 Re8, 17. h3 Qb8, 18. Rd1 g6, 19. Kh1 Bg7, 20. g4 h6, 21. Qg3 Nc5, 22. Ba1 e5, 23. Nc2 b5, 24. cb Ncxe4, 25. Nxe4 Nxe4, 26. Qd3 Nc5, 27. Qxd6 Red8 0-1