Hikaru Nakamura WINS FAST with the Hippopotamus Defense!

Hikaru Nakamura WINS FAST with the Hippopotamus Defense!
My HIPPOPOTAMUS DEFENSE COURSE: thechessgiant....
Interested in PRIVATE LESSONS? Here's the link! www.thechessgi...
In today's video, GM Hikaru Nakamura ‪@GMHikaru‬ plays the Hippopotamus Defense again, and with great success! In this video, we look to analyze the Hippo Defense by Hikaru and specifically how he utilizes certain chess strategies. We see good examples of chess opening theory, chess opening strategy, chess opening tactics, chess opening tricks, chess opening traps, chess opening moves, and chess opening ideas. The Hippo Defense is a dangerous and underrated chess opening for black, and chess opening for white as well. I myself used the Hippopotamus Defense to earn both CM and NM titles. Is FM next? Not sure. But for now I am taking a break from competitive chess. My goal is to hit 100K subs on KZbin, and in terms of competitive chess, hitting NM was my goal. Now that I did that, I am switching to KZbin content. Subscribe to The Chess Giant if you haven't already! Appreciate you!
There's so many search-terms on KZbin including chess for beginners, chess vibes, chess moves, chess game play, chess grandmaster, chess openings for beginners, chess principles, chess tricks, chess for beginners, chess explained, chess lessons, win at chess, chess, KZbin chess, chess vs, chess game, chess live, speed chess, chess lesson, beginners chess lesson, best chess openings for beginners, best chess openings for white, best chess openings for black, best chess openings for intermediate, chess opening tier list, chess openings tier list, win at chess, and so much more. How do we improve at chess? How do we take our game to the next level? My answer is simple. Focus on two things, those being chess tactics and chess endgames. Chess openings are important, I mean y'all have seen how much energy I've putten into Hippopotamus Defense content! However, in terms of improving ELO - make sure not to skip over tactics and endgames.
Join me on Patreon! (Rewards and benefits included!)
/ thechessgiant
Support the Chess Giant Here! paypal.me/thec...
Follow THE CHESS GIANT on social media
Instagram // / thechessgiant
Twitter // / thechessgiant
Facebook // / thechessgiant
Video and channel designs by COASTLAND CREATIVE
Website // www.coastlandc...
Instagram // / coastlandcreative

[@TheChessGiant]

My HIPPOPOTAMUS DEFENSE COURSE: thechessgiant.gumroad.com/l/hippopotamusdefensecourse

[@michaelallport5816]

You spoil us Hippo devotees!😊

[@TheChessGiant]

Hippo Defense content is super fun to make! 🦛🙏🏽

[@michaelallport5816]

@@TheChessGiant I had a hunch that would be the case!

[@stolenhandle]

On Hikaru's push of d4, you show his bad e5 response but I don't think you show the best response. Stockfish shows two options: Nd7 (which stops the Q fork of K and B) and O-O which eliminates the fork. Which do you prefer and why?

[@eco4145]

love the hikura related hippo content! thank u big dog!

[@TheChessGiant]

Thanks a ton my guy!!

[@Ebobster]

Thanks Solomon for this great analysis of Hikaru’s game, especially his mistakes. Personally, it seems that an early d6 rather than b6 and queenside fianchetto is more flexible as black is often better served his bishop staying on c8 to eye the f5 and h3 squares. Hope you do more of these games analysis thru to the finish as the hippo middle games are often very complex! Cheers!

[@TheChessGiant]

I agree! Ya I as well am a fan of the d6 move. More flexible, keeps an eye on f5, and can transpose into other ideas easier.

[@walterbrownstone8017]

The Hippo must be taken very seriously if you want to beat it. You can't mess around with early castles and Re1. Threaten one fianchetto with the rook's pawn and threaten the other with a bishop battery. Or just hope opponent blunders and you see it. Master level players just don't study it, it seems.

[@TheChessGiant]

Ya it's kinda crazy, I think the name + rarity + setup makes people think they can just beat it on a whim... but no.

[@sweaterkev]

Bring on that Hippo juice!! Nothing like a cup of maxwell house and and a serving of Solomon to start the day. Seriously though glad to see your skimming past the first 10 moves and diving into middle game lines and ideas. As always General of the Hippo army I salute you. Thanks

[@TheChessGiant]

Yessir! Glad you are enjoying the Hippo content! And ya at this point I think most subs know what the first 10 moves are, so I'm trying to move towards more complicated concepts. Always earlier ones for those who want to learn move orders and stuff. Wishing you a great end to the year my guy!

[@bigslick75093]

Sorry but I have to make a negative comment here. Typically when you analyze a game and someone makes a bad move or blunder, you''ll show/explain what they should have played instead and you'll show some sample lines. But When you said Hikaru blundered playing e5, all you talked about was the blunder and showed how white could have taken advantage of the blunder. Yet you did not mention at all about what Hikaru SHOULD have played instead, like you do in just about every other Hippo video I've seen. It really would have helped me if you had shown what Hikaru SHOULD have played there instead.

[@TheChessGiant]

Thanks for the feedback! Ya so thanks for putting that on my radar, I think also showing what SHOULD have been played is a good idea. Thanks and wishing you a good one!

[@OregonMikeH]

OUTSTANDING VIDEO BUDDY, FASCINATING, WE THANK YOU!!

[@TheChessGiant]

THANK YOU A TON MIKE. BLESSINGS FROM CALIFORNIA!

[@gboundrapa]

What should we do against 3 pawn center with f4 involved? I'm having a lot of trouble with this, and I'm also having problems against the 4 pawns attack, it's not clear how to go about it.

[@TheChessGiant]

I have a video coming out soon in which case I beat a GM who played this against me, but here's a video covering the theory on it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/enyvi6CrnbSVgac

[@FloatingSunfish]

So nice to see Hikaru playing the Hippo more often these days! Many thanks for another instructive Hippo video, Solomon! 🦛👑

[@TheChessGiant]

Ya Hikaru has been playing it for quite awhile! Apparently he plays it in his Botez queen sack games too almost every time. And you got it!🦛🦛

[@skyeruddell3196]

Another great video, thanks Solo!

[@TheChessGiant]

You got it! Thanks for tuning in!

[@teacherlee3527]

Thanks chief. Can you do more Hippo analysis of us normal folk's games as well? You did a video on it already and I found it super useful.

[@TheChessGiant]

Love this idea, I'll have to make another video on this theme again soon!

[@renew44]

Thanks! Do you know Hikaru's pronunciation is actually closer to Heekaru? ;)

[@arikoudemans2166]

hee? siundsa different than he?

[@mattbeckwith]

My big problem with the hippo defense is when I get everything developed in the ideal position, but the opponent has not yet pushed any pawns to the fifth rank. What do I do then? Invariably, I push something and make a mistake and lose the game.

[@al87221]

Check chessbrah’s hippo speedrun games he usually just starts attacking then himself if opponent plays passive

[@TheChessGiant]

Ya for sure! I talk about this in my course during the "what if white just sits there" section, but one idea that often works is g5/ng6 or b5/nb6. Just a nice way to make some space, and start flowing into some other ideas.

[@FranciscoTirado-v5v]

The only thing I don't like Is how you pronounce Hikaru . It just feels weird . Other than that nices vid . 166 elo with the hippo only

[@TheChessGiant]

Ya apparently I've been saying it wrong lol, I'll have to fix this up before filming more videos 😂😂

[@FranciscoTirado-v5v]

@@TheChessGiant yea is easy just said Hekaru is not hard man and i meant to say I am 966 elo but now 1,000 elo haha It went down again haha .

[@kwhd559]

Have you ever heard Hikaru's name pronounced bro?

[@TheChessGiant]

Yep. And I changed how I pronounce it now.

[@LilaJade19]

That was the best Hippo game I have seen 🥰

[@PrinceTiger-r8l]

Hey Solomon can you do a video on the Gunderam Defense(1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qe7). Though yes, it looks dubious but many grandmasters have played it. Could be a great defense to e4.

[@neilvsalmon6105]

In this Hikaru game , you showed how white wins the pawn with the tactic Bxb5+ as the bishop on b7 is loose , more variations were shown but the tactic Bxb5 check was still possible and missed in your analysis , black should already have ...Nd7 developed to avoid this tactical trap before developing the bishop to b7 .

[@arikoudemans2166]

Do some people refer to the hippo as the modern?

[@FloatingSunfish]

It's a hypermodern opening, but the Modern is closer to the King's Indian and Pirc. The structure is the same for Black, but the name depends on what White does.

[@arikoudemans2166]

thanks! @@FloatingSunfish

[@TheChessGiant]

Great answer by @FloatingSunfish! But I mean the Hippo is really a setup you get after move 10, but how you start the process of getting there determines the "opening" you played even though we know we're really playing a hippo. I played the modern defense but would I call myself a modern defense player? Not really because I'm just trying to get to the hippo defense, not play mainline modern defense theory. Hope this helps!