Hippopotamus Defense: A Solid & Surprising Weapon for Black (A00)

Unleash the Power of the Double Fianchetto!

This post dives deep into the Hippopotamus Defense (A00), a unique and flexible opening system for Black. Want a solid yet dynamic opening that keeps your options open? The Hippo might be perfect for you!

What You'll Learn Here:

This comprehensive guide equips you with everything you need to master the Hippopotamus Defense:

• Understanding the Hippo: We'll explore the core concepts and strategic ideas behind this exciting opening.

• Free Resources Galore: Dive into a treasure trove of free resources to enhance your Hippopotamus knowledge, including articles, annotated games, video lessons, and interactive studies.

• Dominate Your Opponents: Learn how to utilize the Hippo's double fianchetto structure and control the center for a powerful middlegame.

• Fight Like a Champion: Discover strategies for both playing the Hippo as Black and facing it as White.

 Hippopotamus Wikipedia Page

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Books (Free)

Get Started with the Hippo for Free!

The Hippopotamus Defence: Free Lesson - (Free Chessable Course) - This interactive course on Chessable introduces you to the Hippopotamus Defense with 15 trainable variations to solidify your understanding.

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Hippopotamus Defense Chess Articles

This section curates insightful articles to guide you through the Hippopotamus Defense:

Starting out the Hippopotamus defence -  This article provides a beginner-friendly introduction to the Hippo, including 10 annotated games to illustrate key concepts.

Hippopotamus, Anyone? - This article offers a clear explanation of the Hippopotamus Defense with a well-annotated game for practical application.

The Double Fianchetto Solution - GM Alex Colovic's Blog  -- In this article, Grandmaster Alex Colovic showcases the Hippo's potential with 5 games he played as Black using this dynamic opening.

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Hippo LiChess Studies

Master the Nuances of the Hippo with Interactive Studies:

Hippo Defence -  9 Chapter study -This study lays the foundation, guiding you through the Hippo setup, standard positional breaks, and analyzing 7 famous games with annotations to enhance your understanding.

Hippopotamus Defense - 14 Chapter Study - Delve deeper with this in-depth study covering the Hippo setup, valuable strategic tips, alternative Black move orders, and exploring 11 annotated games to broaden your strategic arsenal.

Destroying fast games with the Hippopotamus Opening - 9 Chapter Study -Unleash the aggressive potential of the Hippo! This study explores the exciting Garcia Variation (fianchettoing the bishop to b7, rook on a7, and queen on a8) with 9 illustrative games featuring this powerful setup.

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Games Databases (Chessgames.com Collections)

Explore a variety of Hippopotamus Defense games to enhance your strategic understanding:

Hippopotamus Defence - 38 Games - Delve into a collection of 38 games featuring the Hippopotamus Defense in action. Analyze how different players handle this opening and uncover strategic themes.

Hippopotamus: The Resurgence - 16 Game - Witness the Hippopotamus Defense's comeback in popularity! This collection showcases 16 games where the Hippo has been employed in recent chess.

Modern/ Hippo - 16 games - See how the Hippopotamus Defense can arise from the Modern Defense opening. This collection explores 16 games that demonstrate this opening transition.

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Hippopotamus Defense Video Lessons

Master the Hippopotamus from Beginner to Advanced:

Explore a comprehensive video library covering the Hippopotamus Defense at all skill levels:

Hippopotamus Defense Series - 22 Video Playlist - Chessgiant - Dive deep into the Hippo with this comprehensive playlist covering theory, personal and grandmaster games, key principles, and strategic ideas.

Chess Openings: Learn to Play the Hippopotamus Defense - 13 Min Chessgiant - Unleash the Hippo! This video explores the setup, common plans, and surprising attacking potential of this flexible opening.

Hippopotamus Defense (Setup, Ideas, and Examples) - Chess Openings - 14 Min - Chess Geek -Master the core concepts of the Hippo. Learn how it controls the center indirectly and explore example games featuring this unique approach.

Andrew Martin - The Hippopotamus system of defense - 14 Min Chessbase -Get a sneak peek into IM Andrew Martin's course on the Hippopotamus Defense system.

Hippopotamus system|Universal chess opening|Nona Gaprindashvili - 26 Min - Witness a masterclass in the Hippo as World Chess Champion Nona Gaprindashvili demonstrates its effectiveness.

Play the Hippopotamus with black! - 30 Min - Is the Hippo right for you?  I give you Super Gm games and engine analysis against all these different approaches by white.

Palm Beach Chess

Welcome to the Palm Beach Chess Beginner Chess Openings Series on the Hippo! Learn the Hippo step-by-step with this beginner-friendly series. Each part focuses on a specific strategic idea.

Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 1 - 23 Min
Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 2 - 13 Min
Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 3 - 14 Min
Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 4 - 17 Min
Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 5 - 15 Min
Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 6 - 23 Min
Universal Chess Opening: The Hippo Beginner Ideas Series Part 7 - 32 Min

Double Fianchetto

Dominate with the Double Fianchetto! IM Valeri Lilov (Webinar Replay) - 55 Mins - Unlock the secrets of the Double Fianchetto system, a rising star in chess openings, with IM Valeri Lilov's free webinar replay. Learn aggressive strategies, positional dominance techniques, and how to exploit a central advantage for powerful attacks.

Spike Ernst
The highly flexible “double fianchetto system” has almost ZERO theory and allows you to easily learn the PLANS of elite GMs to gain an easy advantage!  This system offers a low-theory approach with high potential for gaining an advantage.
Double Fianchetto System with GM Sipke Ernst - Part 1 - 19 Min
Double Fianchetto System with GM Sipke Ernst - Part 2 - 41 Min

Crack the Hippopotamus!

Learn strategies to dismantle the Hippopotamus Defense with expert guidance. 

How to Fight the Hippopotamus Defense - 21 Min - ChessNetwork - Learn how to exploit weaknesses and develop a plan to crack the Hippo.

Slay the Hippopotamus 🦛 | Prepare Like A Pro - GM Elshan
 Moradiabadi - 52 Min - St Louis Chess Club - GM Elshan Moradiabadi reveals methods to overcome the solid Hippopotamus Defense.

How to beat Fianchetto Defences in Chess. The two Fianchettos (part 1) - 42 Min - EndGame Strategies -  These video parts explore strategies to defeat openings featuring double fianchetto setups (bishop placements on b7 and g7 for Black). Gain an edge by exploiting weaknesses and securing a positional advantage.
How to beat Fianchetto Defences in Chess. The two Fianchettos (part 2) - 9 Min - EndGame Strategies

Hippo Game Videos (W/Analysis)

Don't Mess With The Hippo - 4 Min IM Eric Rosen - See IM Eric Rosen crush a lower-rated opponent with an aggressive Hippo display in a blitz game.

Magnus Carlsen plays the Modern Defence going into the Hippo || vs Kovachev 2003 - 8 Min - FIDE CM Kingscrusher - Analyze a game where Magnus Carlsen employs the Hippo after opening with the Modern Defense.

learn the HIPPOPOTAMUS with HIKARU's games ! | Double Fianchetto - 4 Min - Study 3 games from Hikaru Nakamura showcasing attacking strategies with the Hippo.

Winning With Hippopotamus Defense | Laszlo Barczay vs Borislav Ivkov: Sousse Interzonal 1967 - 4 Min - Chess School Lecture - Explore a classic game featuring a victory with the Hippopotamus Defense.

How to beat Hikaru's Hippo Opening: 2019 FIDE Chess World Cup Round 1.2 - 16 Min Chess.com - Witness Parham Maghsoodloo dismantle Hikaru Nakamura's favorite opening in a blitz game analyzed by IM Danny Rench.

Praggnanandhaa Faces The Most Solid Hippopotamus Defense - 6 Min - Analyze a dramatic super blitz game where Praggnanandhaa overcomes a well-structured Hippo.

Double Fianchetto Beautiful Attacking Chess! : Stockfish 8 vs Leela ID 514 - 15 Min - kingscrusher analysis - Witness an exciting attacking game featuring the Double Fianchetto system, related to the Hippo.

Taming the Hippo Defense | Develop Your Instincts | GM Naroditsky's DYI Speedrun - 55 Min - Playing 3 Games with Deep Analysis of Each.

IM John Bartholomew Games 
(All Games analyzed by IM Bartholomew as well, can hear his thought process as he plays with an analysis after each game)
Standard Chess #49: FM Alex Dunne vs. IM Bartholomew (Double Fianchetto) - 43 Min
Blitz Chess #306: IM Le Quang Long vs. IM Bartholomew (Double Fianchetto) - 12 Min
Blitz Chess #269: IM David Strauss vs. IM Bartholomew (Double Fianchetto) - 18 Min
Blitz Chess #237: IM Bartholomew vs. GM Zong-Yuan Zhao (Double Fianchetto) - 14 Min
 

Additional Resources

Interested in learning more about the Modern Defense, a close relative to the Hippopotamus Defense? Check out our archive on The Modern Defense Chess Opening: Modern Defence (Robatsch Defence) B06

The Modern Defense and the Hippopotamus Defense share strategic concepts and pawn structures. Exploring the Modern Defense can offer valuable insights for playing the Hippopotamus effectively.