I meant the other books did NOT tell me .
Hippo Attack & Defence (new book)
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Aug 13, 2017
0
#23
BORGamundo wrote:
hi eric . just letting you know I'm learning a lot from your book . in 2014 I purchased "hippo rises" and "tigers modern". after studying them I played a lot of blitz hippo games . but then I got hooked on the borg and the grob . LOL ! but after studying your book I am going to start playing the hippo again . you have explained a lot of things that the other books did tell me . your side notes are really helpful . I was not being flexible enough . I always stubbornly stuck with the exact hippo setup . always ....Nbd7 . but thanks to you , in the Austrian ...Nc6 is the move . anyway thanks for the Best Book on The Hippo !
(fred ) Arizona usa
Hi Fred!
I am very happy about your feedback on the Hippo book. You are totally right, the key to this opening is the extreme flexibility of the pawns and light pieces. Careful thinking about each move is required, whereas in mainstream openings, theoretical knowledge is hugely required.
I wish you a lot of fun and success with your Hippo (and Grob😉) experiences!
Don't hesitate to copy/paste your review and be the first reviewer on Amazon!
Best wishes.
Eric.
poucin wrote:
i think u missed an important point about the Hippo.
It can be good only according circumstances.
For example in Short-Kasparov, Gary used this set up to counter white's development (e6 to block Bc4, then b6 logical to find a good diagonal). Gary began with a modern defence and switched to a hippo because it was justified.
Playing Hippo just to play an hippo is usually a bad choice, for example :
https://www.chess.com/video/player/how-to-destroy-the-hippo
The Hippo system is played usually by lazy players and has several drawbacks :
- not always relevant.
- u always play the same thing, so u play automatic mode and u don't think. And moreover, u just play the same type of positions so u couldn't improve much using it (while Ruy Lopez is very rich, ok it is complicated but u will learn many things, I can't say the same for the Hippo).
Maybe, although I wouldn't take the video (which is by GM Dzindzichashvili and has a clickbaitish title) seriously. That being said, here's one from NM ChessNetwork that looks valid:
https://www.chess.com/blog/ChessNetwork/how-to-fight-the-hippopotamus-defense
Aug 13, 2017
0
#25
Optimissed a écrit :
People who automatically try to get all the moves in quickly to reach one of a number of pre-set positions are not doing it correctly. The hippo (and the Modern) is not for lazy people, because it requires careful thinking and deep understanding for each move, while other mainstream openings require huge theoretical knowledge. The hippo should not be limited to a single setup, as clearly explained in various sources.
When I play against the hippo I like to play f4 but sometimes it isn't possible due to the move order 1. d4 ...d6 2. Nf3. I like to attack in the centre, possibly sacking a pawn, not too soon and not too late. Sometimes black has a counter-attack but 75% of the time, black will miss it due to automatically trying to get all his moves in quickly to reach one of a number of pre-set positions. If I blitz out my moves, so does black. So this means in practice that this opening is played by lazy people.
Aug 13, 2017
0
#26
Optimissed wrote:
Just use common sense, not engines. 1.e3 is a developing move therefore it's a bit better than not having moved and being black, whereas 1. h4, say, is a non-developing move that creates a weakness, so it's better not making a move (and being black) than playing 1. h4. So 1. e3 is a tiny plus score for white. This is a correct use of generalised logic in chess. No engines required and no variations required, which is a fact that some (titled) players here have been known to miss!
I agree totally.
BORGamundo wrote:
hi eric . just letting you know I'm learning a lot from your book . in 2014 I purchased "hippo rises" and "tigers modern". after studying them I played a lot of blitz hippo games . but then I got hooked on the borg and the grob . LOL ! but after studying your book I am going to start playing the hippo again . you have explained a lot of things that the other books did tell me . your side notes are really helpful . I was not being flexible enough . I always stubbornly stuck with the exact hippo setup . always ....Nbd7 . but thanks to you , in the Austrian ...Nc6 is the move . anyway thanks for the Best Book on The Hippo !
(fred ) Arizona usa
Agreed. You can be the second reviewer on Amazon. 
Eric,
1) is this Hippo better for Black or better for White?? (I"ve heard for Black)
2) are there any traps that either side fall into, often, by <1500 players?
Aug 15, 2017
0
#30
Master_Po a écrit :
Hi Master_Po,
1) This is what some people believe. However, it has been proved valid as white in practice by many GM's like Person, like Nakamura, and even Nimzo himself! I believe in this system with an extra tempo even more!
2) There are traps like in other openings, things to take care about, yes. I would say this opening is closely related to the Modern in many aspects. The advantage of the hippo over the Modern is that black has stronger protection of pawn f7, thanks to the e6 push.
Best Regards,
Eric
Eric,
1) is this Hippo better for Black or better for White?? (I"ve heard for Black)
2) are there any traps that either side fall into, often, by <1500 players?
Hello Eric! as a daily Chess Player Uncle_Iroh95 I would so appreciate an online PDF or hardcopy of the book, I only play the hippo (almost only maybe 1 in a 100 games different) but I play with an active king much like 1964 Ujteky game or Fischer's Hedgehog active king setup. The goal to shut down the equator to a single set of squares, and then fighting to control that space until Zugzuang emerges and allows space to be taken, until either zugzuang or smothermate happens without a piece or pawn being captured, or at least that is the ideal position I am looking for. I would gladly write a review, and share your material far and wide! I also am active in speaking with the chess community as I play, and for those who want to learn I explain the principles ideas strategies and tactics I play as I want both myself and my opponent to be at our best and have whoever wins win because we both understood the situation to its fullest! If you would be so kind to share your wisdom with me, I would gladly promote your wisdom, review such wisdom, and do anything else asked of me in trade. thanks for your time and best of luck in all you do!
Has Eric_Briffoz been here since 2017?
Jan 31, 2020
0
#33
kindaspongey wrote:
Has Eric_Briffoz been here since 2017?
Yes of course
He's been very busy since then.
In the meantime, we have a new release of "The Hippo System" (Edition 4) co-written with American author Gary Gifford which now contains 100 selected Hippo games.
Link to it :
https://www.amazon.com/Hippo-System-Universal-Opening-Mongredien/dp/1796768464/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hippo+briffoz&qid=1580483744&sr=8-1
In other news, the Hippo has been played recently (12/22/2019) by Top Chinese GM Wei Yi in a must-win situation against Nepomniachtchi. The game ended in a draw, and can be consulted in the following chess.com page:
https://www.chess.com/news/view/nepomniachtchi-wins-jerusalem-grand-prix-qualifies-for-candidates
Eric_Briffoz a écrit :
kindaspongey wrote:
Has Eric_Briffoz been here since 2017?
Yes of course
He's been very busy since then.
In the meantime, we have a new release of "The Hippo System" (Edition 4) co-written with American author Gary Gifford which now contains 100 selected Hippo games.
Link to it :
https://www.amazon.com/Hippo-System-Universal-Opening-Mongredien/dp/1796768464/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hippo+briffoz&qid=1580483744&sr=8-1
In other news, the Hippo has been played recently (12/22/2019) by Top Chinese GM Wei Yi in a must-win situation against Nepomniachtchi. The game ended in a draw, and can be consulted in the following chess.com page:
https://www.chess.com/news/view/nepomniachtchi-wins-jerusalem-grand-prix-qualifies-for-candidates
Wei Yi made a draw but was completely busted all during the game.
Nepo just had to draw to win the grand prix , its usual to draw in a winning position in this kind of situation. He forced a draw (just to be sure when tired) when winning.
Playing the hippo why not, but recommending it no. I think Hippo has to be played by experienced players : u have to know when to play it, according opponent's development) and how to handle it (many plans). It needs skill to be played properly.
Jan 31, 2020
0
#37
"The Hippo is just what a club player needs. It's a straightforward and clear-cut chess opening that avoids the ever growing body of mainline theory."
Alessio De Santis (author of the New In Chess book on the Hippopotamus Defence)
Feb 4, 2020
0
#38
Wei Yi made a draw but was completely busted all during the game.
@Poucin:
This is not true.
If you analyzed the game, you must have seen that Black made 3 errors BEFORE being "completely busted".
This does not mean that the opening is bad.
The fact that such a Top level GM chooses the Hippopotamus defense against a World Champion Candidate means that Grandmasters believe in the Hippo as a fighting and surprising weapon.
The winner is the one who makes the next-to-last mistake.
Are there any GM’s that became a GM using the Hippo exclusively? IM’s or FM’s? I am going to bet the answer is “no.” Maybe they use it occasionally because they are already advanced, meaning they already have mastered the breadth of positions in chess, before they decide to take a “simpler” way out in an occasional game for particular reasons in particular circumstances as IM poucin suggests.
Feb 10, 2020
0
#40
dannyhume wrote:
Are there any GM’s that became a GM using the Hippo exclusively? IM’s or FM’s? I am going to bet the answer is “no.” Maybe they use it occasionally because they are already advanced, meaning they already have mastered the breadth of positions in chess, before they decide to take a “simpler” way out in an occasional game for particular reasons in particular circumstances as IM poucin suggests.
Check GM Pavel Blatny.
He plays the hippo as white since a long time, even before becoming GM and after becoming GM. Not saying exclusively. Most GM's do not play the same openings exclusively, this would be foolish. They need to surprise their opponents.
There is a full chapter devoted to his white hippo games in the 4th edition of the book.
hi eric . just letting you know I'm learning a lot from your book . in 2014 I purchased "hippo rises" and "tigers modern". after studying them I played a lot of blitz hippo games . but then I got hooked on the borg and the grob . LOL ! but after studying your book I am going to start playing the hippo again . you have explained a lot of things that the other books did tell me . your side notes are really helpful . I was not being flexible enough . I always stubbornly stuck with the exact hippo setup . always ....Nbd7 . but thanks to you , in the Austrian ...Nc6 is the move . anyway thanks for the Best Book on The Hippo !
(fred ) Arizona usa