Named Chess Openings/Formation: Hippopotamus Attack

Formation: Hippopotamus Attack rd bd qd rd kd pd pd pd pd pd pd pl rl nl bl ql kl bl nl rl pl Position after 1. a3 e5 2. b3 d5 3. c3 Nf6 4. d3 Nc6 5. e3 Bd6 6. f3 O-O 7. g3 nd bd nd pd pd pl pl pl pl pl pl Introduction and Ideas With the unconventional Hippopotamus Attack FormationFormation: Hippopotamus Attack https://lichess.org/opening/Formation_Hippopotamus_Attack/a3_e5_b3_d5_c3_Nf6_d3_Nc6_e3_Bd6_f3_O-O_g3 2026-04-20 lichess.org en-US, White fills their third rank (except h3) with pawns. The idea is to go for a passive and slow system where White is well defended. However, this is unsound because of the pawn attack 7...e4. History There is no known historical origin of the name "Hippopotamus Attack". Although the name references the Hippopotamus Defense, the structure doesn't resemble the classical Hippopotamus setup by Black. Main Moves 7...e4 7...Be6 7...Re8 Statistics White wins ~38%, Black wins ~59%, draw ~3%. ECO code A00Schachzeit 2024-11-10 Formation: Hippopotamus Attack - Openings - Schachzeit https://www.schachzeit.com/en/openings/formation/hippopotamus-attack 2026-04-20 www.schachzeit.com en Parent Anderssen's Opening References