Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.3 - The Hedgehog by Ivan Sokolov

Throughout my playing career I have found the Hedgehog (with both colours) one of the most difficult type of positions to master. With White (the side with more space) there is always a danger to overextend oneself (or miss your opponent’s pawn break). While playing Black (the side with less space) there is always a danger to mistime your pawn break, or simply to not get counterplay and be overrun.

Sample video

1. Hedgehog - Part 1
2. Introduction and Fischer vs Andersson
3. Black pushes the g-pawn: Charbonneau vs Anand
4. Regrouping: Kasparov vs Kramnik
5. h-pawn push: Topalov vs Kasimdzhanov
6. White fights the h-pawn push: Radjabov vs Kamsky
7. Aggressive ideas for White
8. White castles kingside and pushes the g-pawn: J. Van Foreest vs Bilguun
9. Kingside pawn roll: Cramling vs Gruenfeld
10. Hedgehog - Part 2
11. Dark square control: Tal vs Polugaevsky
12. White pushes the a-pawn: Agrest vs Nisipeanu
13. White pushes the a-pawn 2: Firouzja vs Vachier-Lagrave
14. Doubled-pawns: Acs vs Polgar
15. Doubled-pawns 2: Eljanov vs Kudrin
16. White castles queenside
17. Diagonal domination: Romanishin vs Petrosian
18. Diagonal domination 2
19. Pawn structure change: Carlsen vs Wojtaszek
20. Practice positions
21. Description
22. Position 1 - Black to move
23. Position 1 - White to move
24. Position 2 - Black to move
25. Position 2 - White to move
26. Position 3 - Black to move
27. Position 3 - White to move
28. Position 4 - Black to move
29. Position 4 - White to move
30. Position 5 - Black to move
31. Position 5 - White to move
32. Position 6 - Black to move
33. Position 6 - White to move

Language: English
System: Windows 7 or higher, Mac OS X (only download)
Delivery: Download
Level: Advanced, Tournament player, Professional