Manny’s Reviews > Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide > Status Update

It is a mark of the respect I feel for this book that I am doing all the exercises. It really is a very nice piece of work, my main criticism is that there isn't more of it! 464 pages seems too short. So many interesting structures that he doesn't find space to cover...

"The best way to get into a French Defence structure is to play the Caro-Kann".

Now there's a useful piece of advice.

The following game is an interesting example from my own experience. I had always had problems with this structure and I spent the first few hours of the game just hoping to lose in an honourable way, yet somehow things worked out for me in the end.

[Introductory comments to the game Ehlvest-Rios, Sao Paolo 2009]

When you're White against the Hedgehog structure, Rios says one of the most natural kingside setups is pawns h2, g2, f3, Kh1, Be3, Qg1. The Q and B battery pressure the Black queenside, and the Q defends the potentially weak h-pawn, which Black in turn is trying to pressure by putting his Q on b8 and his B on c7. It's kind of a long-range artillery duel.

I have never used this exact arrangement, must try it!

Possible Black plans in the Hedgehog structure:

1. Play for the ... d5 break.
2. Play for the ... b5 break.
3. Attack on the kingside with ... Kh8, ... Rg8, ... g5.
4. Attack on the kingside with ... h5-h4-h3.
5. Do nothing in particular and wait for a chance to try one of the above plans.

As Rios says, (5) is the best plan and the true soul of the Hedgehog.

STONEWALL STRUCTURE IN "NOT UNSOUND AFTER ALL" SHOCK

So far, feels like a 21st century version of Fine's The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings. Surprising that it took so long to update this classic!