Webster says H-i-p-p-o-p-o-t-a-m-u-s. That's 3 p's.
Have you seen the protruding teeth on those beasts? Nov-26-05 Pawsome wrote: ...The Hippo reached the highest levels when Spassky attempted to confound Petrosian with it in one of their WC matches. (It should be in this database) Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966
The name hippo or frog (as I understand it is known in Eastern European circles) seems to stem from the resemblance this configuration bears to the eyes of a subaqueous creature peeking out of the water of some fetid swamp. It was favourite of recently deceased blitz phenom Genrikh Chepukaitis, five time Leningrad and one time St. Petersburg blitz champ. who calls it the Ujtelki Defense after another hippo afficianado, Max Ujtelki. For a fine Chepukaitis ride on the hippo check out "Chess Philosopher Genrikh Chepukaitis" by Misha Savinov in the Skittles Room archive of ChessCafe.com.
Thank you Pawsome, Shams and saintdc07.
First, a sampling of fianchetto openings w/various ECO codes somewhat similar to the Hippopotamus. A true Hippo places four pawns on the 6th rank and fianchettos BOTH bishops (if there's time to do so). The Black knights often begin by landing in front of royalty. The Hippo is often associated with the Modern/Robatsch Defense (B06) which fianchettos the kingside bishop w/a prompt g6, Bg7. The development of the king's knight is often delayed, which can be a dangerous. White is given a free hand in the center.
The Indian Defenses with ECO code "E" are not closely related because the Indians often play Nf6 on the first or second move and perhaps Bb4 -- definitely not a characteristic of the Hippo. However, both defenses usually play d6 or e6 and perhaps b6 as well with a fianchettoed bishop.
We'll begin with the "E" code Indian defenses just for some flavor. If nothing else, it's a refresher on attacking chess. The eventual winner of a chess game MUST advance to attack/counter attack at some point. Do not play the Hippopotamus w/the idea of hiding behind pawns all game! Those who sit there and do nothing waiting for something to happen eventually get ran over by those who have a plan to go places. "Open lines are decisive!" -- Fred Reinfeld.
White Two Knights (Nc3, Nf3) Description:
4.5 = Bc4, Bg5
4.0 = Bc4, Bf4
3.5 = Bc4, Be3
3.0 = Bd3, Be3
2.5 = Be2, Be3
2.0 = Be2, Bd2
* Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns
This link has a good, concise collection of diagrammed checkmate patterns by name. The new reader may wish to consult it initially to the point of memorization.
Kibitzing
