I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
The first time I saw this opening on the board, it drove me crazy.
If your opponent plays it well, they can hold you at bay, but most people don't play this opening like this because they've been swimming in theory. They are trying to win by drawing you into their comfort zone. Let's settle in and understand how to put a bow on the hippo.
Contents
The Basic Setup with Black Pieces
The Basic Setup with Black Pieces
Lower-level players relying on the Hippo may play chess without looking at their opponent's moves. The essential position they are trying to achieve is in two phases. The ears of the hippo are the pawns on the 6th rank with the bishops on the 7th.
Then Black tries to open its mouth with pawn on d6 and e6. Usually, the knights are folded inward to the 7th rank as well. It’s a compact position that is difficult to breach.
White should develop on f4 and look for an early f5 break. Miodrag Perunovic calls this move, “the refutation of the Hippo defense.” He’s quite animated about it.
The f7 square is one of the key soft spots in Black’s defense and trading out pawns might even open the e-file. With the king in the center, the hippo risks immediate collapse under its own weight. Also, White may be able to storm pawns on the g and h file.
Timing: Putting It All Together
If this is the general plan—breaking through before Black before can position their knights—White should be vigilant about finding the right moment to strike. The safer course might seem to be castling queenside, developing the bishop to e3, and then looking, when the whole White team is ready, looking for a push. Believe me, this much harder than it looks if Black has both knights in place.
If you know what you’re looking for, you can catch Black before their pieces are on good squares.
Have you seen a hippo in your games this week? If so, post the pgn!
