The Modern Defence
Keene & Botterill (1972)

CH15 The Avante Garde

Keene & Botterill - 1972

pg 138

"This section is wholly devoted to new and original ideas as yet in the embrionic stage which can hardly be treated with any pretence to exhaustive accuracy. In what follows, therefore, we shall content ourselves with a general exposition of the positional ideas underlying these novel schemes combined with illustrative examples from the play of those pioneers who are helping to add a further dimension to chess theory."

1. The Double Fianchetto Defense

Ardiansyah vs Larsen

Garcia Martinez vs Larsen

Darga vs Keene

2. The Hippopotamus

The Hippopotamus is in a way related to the Double Fianchetto, in so far as here too Black deploys his bishops at QN2 (g7) and KN2 (b7). However whereas the Double Fianchetto is an answer, based in a single positional theme (control over the light squares, especially e4), to a specific move-order by White, the Hippopotamus is rather the deferment of any answer, Black develops within his own three ranks of the board, entering into no territorial struggles, according to a fixed plan of development --- --- and various permutations thereof as well as the eccentric J.C. Thompson's book ---that is virtually independent of what White is doing in the meantime. One might characterize Black's play by saying that he proceeds like a man who has never learnt the rule that a pawn may take two steps at his first turn, and indeed the Hippopotamus is reminiscent of some of the old Arabic openings that could be played regardless of the formation the opponent was adopting."

Such strength as the Hippopotamus has derives from the resilience of a cramped but not compromised position, and the dangers White will run of 'trying too hard' and being tempted into a rash advance. As in this game:"

Barczay vs Ivkov

Spassky, often considered a model of classical virtue on the chessboard, produced the Hippopotamus in two of the games in his 1965 World Championship Match with Petrosian."

Petrosian vs Spassky

More examples from the zoological gardens:"

a) Petrosian vs Spassky

b) Shamkovich vs Ujtelky

c) Simagin vs Ujtelky

d) Hennings vs Uhlmann

e) Unzicker vs Petrosian

f) Faibisovich vs Chepukaitis

def Hippo

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