Answers.Body: <p>It depends on the players and how black continues after whites moves.</p>
  <p>For me, I find it easy to beat players using it for black.</p>
  <p>That might speak more to their lack of experience than the opening.  But then you dont find many high rated players using it so there is no conclusive proof.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2020-09-28T23:14:06.553Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-09-28T23:14:06.553Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: pro writer
Answers.Body: <p>The Hippo can be viable even at the top levels with classical time-controls, but it is more of a matter of <em>when</em> is it viable.<br />
  Certainly no player gets to the top levels playing passive chess and we are unlikely to ever see it at slow time-controls; however some ~2600 players play it in slow time controls <em>when</em> White only has two pawns in the center and the adjacent pawns are blocked.</p>
  <p>For example:
  1.e4 g6
  2.d4 Bg7
  3.Nc3 d6
  4.Nf3 a6
  5.a4 b6
  6.Be3 e6
  7.Qd2 h6
  is quite acceptable</p>
  <p><strong>update:</strong></p>
  <ul>
  <li>Donchenko (2604) played it in Gibraltar Masters 2019.</li>
  <li>Flores, Diego    (2601) 20th Dubai Open 2018.</li>
  <li>Sethuraman, S.P. (2639) Qatar Masters Open 2015.</li>
  <li>Gustafsson, Jan (2630) 1-0 Fier, Alexandr (2636) ESP-chT CECLUB Honor.</li>
  <li>Bruzon Batista, Lazaro (2653) Badalona op 36th</li>
  <li>Malakhov, Vladimir (2709) has played it...</li>
  </ul>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-09-30T04:56:15.650Z
Answers.Text: can you give explicit examples of ~2600 rated players using it in slow time contorls.
Answers.UserDisplayName: CognisMantis
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-10-05T21:07:52.397Z
Answers.Text: @CognisMantis examples added.  Do a database search and you will find several games.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ywapom
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Answers.CreationDate: 2020-09-29T23:25:01.750Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-10-05T21:06:41.980Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-10-05T21:06:41.980Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ywapom
Answers.Body: <p>It is viable at all levels, but there are more critical tries as Black, that is why it is rare at the top level.</p>
  <p>The defense was even used twice by Spassky in the 1964 World Championship Match against Petrosian, both games drawn.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2020-09-30T13:27:14.630Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: B.Swan
Body: <p>Clearly the defense is not viable in top level chess for classical time controls. Roughly at what rating is it viable to have the hippopotamus defense as your primary black defense?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-11-18T17:00:50.947Z
Comments.Text: A related question: What if white plays hippo?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Zuriel
Tags: <opening><rating>
Title: How viable is the hippopotamus defense?
ThreadText: # How viable is the hippopotamus defense?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-09-28)
  
  Clearly the defense is not viable in top level chess for classical time controls. Roughly at what rating is it viable to have the hippopotamus defense as your primary black defense?
  
  **Tags:** opening, rating
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: A related question: What if white plays hippo?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2020-09-28. Score: 2
  
  It depends on the players and how black continues after whites moves.
  
  For me, I find it easy to beat players using it for black.
  
  That might speak more to their lack of experience than the opening. But then you dont find many high rated players using it so there is no conclusive proof.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2020-09-29. Score: 1
  
  The Hippo can be viable even at the top levels with classical time-controls, but it is more of a matter of *when* is it viable.  
  Certainly no player gets to the top levels playing passive chess and we are unlikely to ever see it at slow time-controls; however some ~2600 players play it in slow time controls *when* White only has two pawns in the center and the adjacent pawns are blocked.
  
  For example:
  1.e4 g6
  2.d4 Bg7
  3.Nc3 d6
  4.Nf3 a6
  5.a4 b6
  6.Be3 e6
  7.Qd2 h6
  is quite acceptable
  
  **update:**
  
  * Donchenko (2604) played it in Gibraltar Masters 2019.
  * Flores, Diego (2601) 20th Dubai Open 2018.
  * Sethuraman, S.P. (2639) Qatar Masters Open 2015.
  * Gustafsson, Jan (2630) 1-0 Fier, Alexandr (2636) ESP-chT CECLUB Honor.
  * Bruzon Batista, Lazaro (2653) Badalona op 36th
  * Malakhov, Vladimir (2709) has played it...
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: can you give explicit examples of ~2600 rated players using it in slow time contorls.  
  > **username_3**: @username_0 examples added.  Do a database search and you will find several games.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2020-09-30. Score: 1
  
  It is viable at all levels, but there are more critical tries as Black, that is why it is rare at the top level.
  
  The defense was even used twice by Spassky in the 1964 World Championship Match against Petrosian, both games drawn.
  
  
  ---
  
  