All corrections
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus_Defence
1 correction found
1
Claim
after which the setup was dubbed the "Hippopotamus" by commentators
Correction
The name "Hippopotamus" predates the 1966 Petrosian–Spassky match. It was already in use in the 1950s and appeared in J. C. Thompson's 1957 booklet *Hippopotamus Chess Opening*.
Full reasoning
This claim is contradicted by sources showing that the opening's name existed before Spassky used the setup in the 1966 World Championship match.
- Google Books lists a 1957 booklet by J. C. Thompson titled Hippopotamus Chess Opening. If a chess booklet with that title was published in 1957, the setup was already being called "Hippopotamus" nearly a decade before the 1966 match.
- ChessBase likewise states that "The Hippopotamus was given the name by ... JC Thompson, back in the 1950's." That directly conflicts with the article's statement that commentators coined or dubbed the name only after Spassky's 1966 games against Petrosian.
So Spassky's use of the setup may have helped popularize it, but the evidence shows the name was not first bestowed by commentators after that match.
2 sources
- Hippopotamus Chess Opening - J. C. Thompson (Writer on chess.) - Google Books
"Hippopotamus Chess Opening" ... "J.C. Thompson, 1957".
- New: The Hippopotamus system of defence | ChessBase
"The Hippopotamus was given the name by an eccentric English amateur player JC Thompson, back in the 1950's."