Semyon Alapin

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Semyon Zinovievich Alapin (1856–1923), was a Lithuanian-Jewish chess player, openings analyst and puzzle setter. Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, he was a Russian citizen and one of the strongest players in Russia in the late 19th Century. Today he is best known for his variation against the Sicilian Defence, characterized by the move 2. c3. This line was once considered a harmless theoretical backwater but is now about as popular as the Closed variation 2. Nc3. His gambit attack against the French Defence, 2. Be3!?, is also known though less common. He also originated Alapin's Opening, an odd and obscure king's pawn opening which does not offer White any advantage. It was at one time jokingly called "The Hippopotamus Game".