Key Concepts of Chess - The Hedgehog by Herman Grooten

In order to understand openings properly, the middlegame should actually be studied first. Because all plans in the middlegame link directly to the ideas from the opening. Almost everything is hung up on pawn structures. Therefore, IM Herman Grooten takes the club chess player by the hand to take a closer look at common middlegame structures.

On this video course Grooten discusses the basic ideas for both White and Black of a typical structure that can arise from various opening variants. This is the so-called “hedgehog system” which is characterised by at least four black pawns on the sixth rank which we call the “spikes” of the hedgehog. Another essential aspect is that the exchange of a black c-pawn for a white d-pawn (as in the Sicilian) creates a position in which, partly due to c2-c4, a large space advantage is obtained by White. But that the “hedgehog” is viable will become clear in all the examples shown, as the author likes to use this system himself!

• Video running time: 4 hours (English)
• With interactive training including video feedback
• Extra: Model Games and Training with ChessBase apps - Play key pawn structures against Fritz on various levels

Sample video

• Introduction
• Schematic plan a
• Schematic plan b
• Schematic plan c
• Background knowledge
• Stean-Andersson
• Learning from the Hedgehog Classics
• Fischer-Andersson
• Byrne-Andersson
• Typical Plans for White
• Shaving the Spykes: The Nd5!? Motif
• Shaving the Spykes: a2-a4-a5
• Shaving the Spykes: b2-b4 & c4-c5
• Shaving the Spykes: e4-e5
• Weakness provocation: f4-f5
• Push g & h-pawns: g2-g4-g5; h2-h4-h5; g6
• Summary plans for White
• Typical Plans for Black
• Pawn Trusts: b6-b5
• Pawn Trusts: d6-d5
• Pawn Trusts: b5 and ...d5
• Pawn Trusts: h-pawn bayonet
• Bishop redeployment
• Fischer's ...g5 plan I
• Fischer's ...g5 plan II
• The Marozcy Bind in relationship to the Hedgehog
• Move orders with e4
• Move orders with c4
• Move orders with d4
• Move orders with Nf3
• Own Games in the Hedgehog
• Wintzer-Grooten
• Hausrath-Grooten
• I.Böhm-Grooten
• Conclusion
• Exercises
• Exercise 01
• Exercise 02
• Exercise 03
• Exercise 04
• Exercise 05
• Exercise 06
• Exercise 07
• Exercise 08
• Exercise 09
• Exercise 10
• Exercise 11
• Exercise 12
• Exercise 13
• Exercise 14
• Exercise 15
• Exercise 16
• Exercise 17
• Exercise 18
• Exercise 19
• Exercise 20