Watch How She Killed The Hippo

The Hippopotamus Defence is a name for various irregular chess opening systems in which Black moves a number of pawns to the sixth rank, often developing pieces to the seventh rank, and does not move any pawns to the fifth rank in the opening. It has a reputation of a solid opening and is usually chosen as a means of anti-computer strategy!
In this game we see how French WGM Almira Skripchenko destroys GM Laurent Fressinet's super solid Hippopotamus Defence!
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Almira Skripchenko vs Laurent Fressinet
French Championship (2002), Val d'Isere FRA, rd 5, Aug-23
Modern Defense: King Pawn Fianchetto (B06)
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 e6 5. O-O Nd7 6. Nc3 a6
7. a4 b6 8. Bf4 Bb7 9. Qd2 h6 10. h3 g5 11. Bh2 Ne7 12. h4 Ng6
13. h5 Ne7 14. d5 e5 15. Ne1 f5 16. exf5 Nf6 17. f3 Nxf5
18. Ne4 O-O 19. c3 Kh8 20. Rd1 Qe8 21. Bb3 Ne7 22. Nxf6 Rxf6
23. g4 c6 24. c4 cxd5 25. cxd5 Rc8 26. Ng2 Qf7 27. Qd3 Rf8
28. Ne3 Qe8 29. Bc2 Kg8 30. Bxe5 dxe5 31. Qh7+ Kf7 32. d6 Rh8
33. Bb3+ Bd5 34. Nxd5 Rxh7 35. Nxf6+ Kxf6 36. d7 Qd8 37. Rd6#
1-0
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Video Thumbnail Credits:
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#chess

[@SurenAghabekyan]

Petrosian vs Spassky game mentioned in the video is here! 😊👌 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHvOaYaee8eflbM

[@AtEboli]

The more of these grandmaster games I watch, the more I realize that these players are not that afraid of moving the pawns in front of their castled kings. I always avoid that like the plague, but you see many of these GM's doing it with success. They are not afraid of being able to defend the exposed king. Of course, sometimes it leads to bad outcomes, too, like it did here for black.

[@kszwomcszkaszky3291]

Hahaha. Me too. I feel so unsafe.

[@Joshwaheazo]

I'm slowly approaching 1000. I play the same. But usually I only move the corner one on the king side to take away a bishop square and give my king an escape from a back rank. If the queens have been exchanged I feel more comfortable moving my king pawns. But like you I get scared before that 🤭

[@pukulu]

My guess is that Skripchenko played the opening and the early middlegame while harboring the thought that she was not going to defeat Fressinet because he was much stronger than her as a chess player. She started to question his position later on and then began to believe that she might defeat him. He must have felt a bit embarrassed when the game was over.

[@sandipraj100]

Rd4 If cxd4 then Qh1 is mate Qxd4 Qxd4 Re8+ Ka7 Whatever the white plays it cannot avoid double mate threat at Rh1 and Qf2. Only white can delay the mate by Ke1 Rh1+ Nf1 Qf2+ Kd1 Rxf1+ Re1 Rxe1++

[@sandipraj100]

I have tried the other possibility. .... Rd4 Re8+ Rxe8 Qxd4 Qh1+ Qg1 Re1+ Kxe1 Q×g1+ Nf1 Qf2+ Kd1 Qe2++

[@johnkesich8696]

@@sandipraj100 Looks correct.

[@SurenAghabekyan]

Ka7 is such a nice move, right??

[@sandipraj100]

@@SurenAghabekyan yes sir. Ka7 was the only winning move there

[@EdMcF1]

Cracking attack there, when you see the battery you think you know what is going to happen.

[@Joshwaheazo]

I would shit myself if I saw all of that lined up and my rooks and queen aren't very well coordinated. I'm never finding that knight move.

[@michaellau177]

1... Rd4 2. Re8+ RxR 3.QxR Qh1+ 4. Qg1 Re1+ 5. KxR QxQ+ 6. Nf1 Qf2+ 7. Kd1 Qe2 mate

[@sealand000]

1. ... f5 to prevent white knight from going to e4 to attack black's g3 pawn. Then black loads up on the h file

[@ZdenekMicke69]

1. ... f5 2. Qg1 Qf6 3. f4 Rh5 4. Nf3 Qh6 5. Be3 Rh1 6. Rad1 Rxg1+ 7. Bxg1

[@michaelw.emerson]

Thanks.

[@SurenAghabekyan]

You're welcome Michael 👏

[@warrendsmith6832]

Aren't Fressinet & Skripchenko married?

[@DonDarchhun13]

Rd4!! Q×d4, Q×d4 winning or P×d4, Qh1 check mate.

[@jamesfinnegan6275]

Yes. Black does have a slightly better reply: 2. Re8+. After 2. ... Rxe8, the original mating threat no longer exists, and White will play 3. Qxd4, but Black can still win, with yet another sacrifice: 3. ... Qh1+ 4. Qg1, Re1+ 5. Kxe1, Qxg1+ 6. Nf1, Qf2+ 7. Kd1, Qe2#.

[@SurenAghabekyan]

agree James, the line with Re8+ followed by Ka7 is something which should be mentioned...

[@pot_kivach160]

2:00 whats the purpose of this move?

[@mr.banana7174]

Starting to manoievre the knight to a better square and probably preparing to break at some point with f4

[@SurenAghabekyan]

yes better square for the Knight and what is more important opening up the f-pawn's path... later we can see that with f3 White strengthens his position (an idea common when playing against King's Indian defense)

[@HollyMartins]

Absolutly a good game 👌🙂

[@SurenAghabekyan]

👌🙂

[@pot_kivach160]

Did you say the black was a GM?

[@SurenAghabekyan]

Yes, and two-time French Chess Champion...

[@Joshwaheazo]

I literally saw none of those moves. Haha. Wow.

[@praveendev8308]

Queen to H1

[@SurenAghabekyan]

Qg1??

[@MoonBurn13]

Puzzle: 1…Q-Q5! Now if 2. PxQ, RR8 mate; or if 2. QxQ, RxQ, after which…RR8 mate is still unstoppable.

[@michaellau177]

Kg1

[@roryvonbrutt7302]

😳😳‼️®™️

[@SurenAghabekyan]

👏👏