Modern Defence (Hippopotamus)
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 a6!? 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 Nd7
The Hippopotamus commonly features Black fianchettoing the bishops and developing the knights to d7 and e7. Meanwhile pawns are pushed forward one square, and Black in general waits to see how White sets up, particularly in regard to where the white king goes. Much more popular after 5.Nf3 in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database is 5...b5, but that would not be a Hippopotamus.
6.Bc4 e6
As RK pointed out afterwards, Black must defend against the threat of 7.Bxf7+!, when 7...Kxf7 loses the queen after both 8.Ke8 Ne6 and 8.Kf8 Ne6+, while even worse is 7...Kf6? 8.Nd5#.
7.a4
Even stronger seems to be 7.f5!?, eg 7...Nb6 8.fxg6!?, when 8...Nxc4?! 9.gxf7+ Kxf7 10.0-0 gives a winning attack, according to the engines.
7...h6!?
There is just one example of this move in Mega23. Meanwhile 7...Ne7, which appears 33 times, scores 56%.
8.a5
Anantha Anulkumar (1932) - Grinath Haridas (1977), British Championship 2017 (Llandudno), went 8.0-0 Ne7 10.Be3 b6 11.Qe2 0-0 with a slight edge to White, according to Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1, although the game was agreed drawn after just six more moves.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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8...b5!?
More in keeping with the Hippopotamus is 8...Ne7. Indeed, purists would probably say the the game has left the realm of the Hippopotamus. The engines narrowly prefer the 'pure' hippo move.
9.axb6 Nxb6 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.0-0
Committing the king to the kingside, now that the queenside looks unsafe for either monarch.
11...Nf6 12.f5!? exf5 13.exf5 g5
Leaving the f5 pawn to blunt the white bishop, while also creating the possibility of using the black g pawn as a spearhead in an attack on the white kingside.
14.Re1+
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| Which way should the black king go? |
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14...Kf8
RK said he rejected 14...Kd7 because of 15.Ne5+!? After the forced 15...dxe5 16.dxe5 Black can hardly save the king's knight by 16...Nfd5?! as 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.f6 Bf8 19.Bf5+ gives White a winning attack, according to the engines.
15.Qe2 Qd7!?
Komodo14.1 prefers this over attempts to save the a pawn, but Stockfish15.1 quite likes 15...a5.
16.Bxa6 g4!?
White's king's knight becomes sidetracked after this, but enters the vicinity of the black king, and Black remains a pawn down. Instead 16...Bxa6 17.Rxa6 Rxa6 18.Qxa6 Qxf5 is slightly better for White, according to the engines.
17.Nh4 c6?!
This time the engines reckon ...Bxa6 is definitely better.
18.Be3 Kg8 19.Bxb7 Qxb7
The engines prefer first exchanging rooks and then capturing on b7.
20.Rxa8+ Qxa8 21.Qd3 Kh7 22.Bf4 Qd8
The engines prefer 22...Re8!?, one point being 23.Rxe8 Qxe8 24.Bxd6?? loses to 24...Qe1+ 25.Qf1 Qxh4.
23.Ne4!? Nxe4?
Much better is 23...Re8, with complete equality (Stockfish15.1) or at worst a slight disadvantage (Komodo14.1).
24.f6 Re8 25.Rxe4 Rxe4 26.Qxe4+ Kg8 27.Nf5 Qxf6 28.Ne7+?
White is winning after 28.Bxd6, according to the engines.
28...Kf8 29.Nf5 d5 30.Qd3 Nc4?
Much better is 30...Qe6.
31.b3 Nb2
There is nothing better as 31...Nb6, for example, is met by 32.Be5.
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| What should White play? |
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32.Qc3??
This turns a winning position into a losing one. Correct is 32.Qf1, rounding up the trapped black knight later, and if 32...Qxf5?? then 33.Bd6+ etc.
32...Qxf5 33.Bd6+ Kg8 34.Qxb2 Qe4
Threatening mate in one.
35.Qc1 Qxd4+ 36.Kf1 Qa1
The engines prefer a less-committal move, such as 36...Kh7.
37.Qxa1 Bxa1 38.Ke2
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| How should Black continue? |
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38...Kg7?
This natural-looking move throws away the win, according to the engines, which like 38...f5. The problem with the text will quickly become clear.
39.Kd3 Kf6!?
This is OK, according to the engines, but it makes sense to save the black bishop, for example by 39...Bb2 etc. However, after 40.c3 Bc1 comes 41.Kd4 with good counterplay.
40.c3
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| The black bishop is trapped, but the game is completely equal, according to the engines |
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40...h5 41.Bc5 Ke5 42.Bd4+ Kd6 43.b4
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| Black to play and draw |
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43...Bb2?
Both 43...g3!? and 43...Ke6 draw, according to the engines, eg 43...g3!? 44.hxg3 Ke6 45.Kc2 Kf5 46.Kb1 Kg4 47.Kxa1 Kxg3 48.Bf6 Kxg2 49.Kb2 Kg3 50.Kc2 h4 51.Kd3 h3 52.Be5+ Kg2 53.Kd4 f5 54.Ke3 h2 55.Bxh2 Kxh2 56.Kf4 Kg2 57.Kxf5 Kf3 58.Ke5 Ke3 59.Kd6 Kd3 60.Kxc6 Kxc3 etc.
44.Kc2 Ba3 45.Be3 c5?
This makes White's task easier.
46.Bxc5+ Ke5
Or 46...Kc6 47.Be3 Kb5 48.Kb3 d4 49.c4+ and Bd2.
47.Be3 Ke4 48.Bh6 f5 49.Kb3 d4
Or 49...Bxb4 50.cxb4 f4 51.Bxf4! Kxf4 52.b5 Ke5 53.g3 d4 54.b6 Kd6 55.Kc4 etc.
50.Kxa3 d3 51.g3 h4 52.b5 Kf3 53.b6 hxg3 54.hxg3 Kxg3 55.b7 1-0
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