Bongcloud Attack
The world of chess is usually one of intense strategy and meticulous planning, but sometimes, a playful defiance of convention captures global attention. Enter the Bongcloud Attack—a bizarre opening move that has become both a notorious internet meme and a surprising tool in the hands of the sport's greatest minds. It's a testament to how even in a game of profound depth, a touch of irreverence can spark unexpected drama. The Bongcloud Attack is an intentionally terrible chess opening that deliberately breaks fundamental strategic principles. Despite its inherent flaws, world champions and grandmasters have strategically employed it in high-stakes online blitz games, often for psychological effect. This unusual opening has transcended its origins as a mere joke to become a symbol of internet chess humor, challenging traditional notions of serious play.
AI Summary
The world of chess is usually one of intense strategy and meticulous planning, but sometimes, a playful defiance of convention captures global attention. Enter the Bongcloud Attack—a bizarre opening move that has become both a notorious internet meme and a surprising tool in the hands of the sport's greatest minds. It's a testament to how even in a game of profound depth, a touch of irreverence can spark unexpected drama.
- The Bongcloud Attack is an intentionally terrible chess opening that deliberately breaks fundamental strategic principles.
- Despite its inherent flaws, world champions and grandmasters have strategically employed it in high-stakes online blitz games, often for psychological effect.
- This unusual opening has transcended its origins as a mere joke to become a symbol of internet chess humor, challenging traditional notions of serious play.
The Ultimate Joke Opening
In chess, openings are carefully crafted sequences meant to gain an early advantage, setting the stage for the entire game. But then there's the Bongcloud Attack — an opening so notoriously unconventional, it's become an icon of internet chess humor. It's not about winning, it's about... well, we'll get to that.
The Moves
The Bongcloud Attack begins with the standard 1. e4 e5, setting up a symmetrical pawn structure in the center of the board. But then comes the twist: White plays 2. Ke2, moving the king. This is almost unheard of so early in a serious game.
This simple two-move sequence is the core of the Bongcloud. The name has also been broadly applied to any opening where a player moves their king on the second move, immediately challenging conventional wisdom.
1. e4 e5 \\ 2. Ke2
Why It's So "Bad"
From a strategic standpoint, 2. Ke2 is—to put it mildly—terrible. It prevents castling, a crucial move for king safety, and blocks the development of both the queen and the light-squared bishop. The king is left exposed in the center, a prime target for attack, and the move does absolutely nothing to improve White's position.
Unlike some dubious openings that might have a hidden trick or an ambitious plan, the Bongcloud lacks any redeeming feature. Its complete disregard for fundamental chess principles places it far outside of conventional practice.
Violates king safety by moving it to e2 Prevents castling, a key king safety maneuver Blocks the queen and light-squared bishop's development Does not improve White's position in any meaningful way
What's in a Name?
The name "Bongcloud" itself is part of the joke. It's thought to either come from an early Chess.com user, "LennyBongcloud," who famously (and unsuccessfully) used the opening, or it's a humorous nod to cannabis, implying one would need to be under the influence to consider it a legitimate strategy. Andrew Fabbro's satirical manual, "Winning With the Bongcloud," further cemented its place in chess lore.
Grandmasters Go Bongcloud
Despite its obvious flaws, the Bongcloud Attack surprisingly found its way into high-level play, particularly in fast-paced online blitz chess, where mind games and speed are paramount. Its first prominent adopter was American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, known for his aggressive and unconventional style, who embraced the opening with an almost evangelical fervor.
Nakamura's Reign of Terror (and Humor)
Nakamura embraced the Bongcloud, even streaming himself exclusively using it on a new Chess.com account, achieving an incredible 3000 rating. He wasn't just playing around; he was proving a point: that even with the 'worst' opening, a skilled player can still outmaneuver opponents, and sometimes, even win.
Over the years, Nakamura frequently unleashed the Bongcloud against other top GMs. He famously played it three times against Levon Aronian in the 2018 Chess.com Speed Chess Championship, scoring a crucial win in one game. He also defeated Vladimir Dobrov and Wesley So with it in the 2019 event, showcasing its surprising, albeit rare, effectiveness.
The Double Bongcloud
The Bongcloud reached its zenith in March 2021 when World Champion Magnus Carlsen himself deployed it against Nakamura in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. In a truly remarkable moment, Nakamura mirrored the move, playing 2...Ke7, creating the legendary "Double Bongcloud."
This iconic game, later nicknamed the "Bongcloud Countergambit: Hotbox Variation," ended in an intentional draw by threefold repetition after the players shuffled their kings back and forth. Both players had already secured their spots in the knockout stage, making it a "dead rubber" match—a perfect stage for such a playful, yet historic, display of chess humor. It marked the first time 1.e4 e5 2.Ke2 Ke7 was played in a major tournament.
1. e4 e5 \\ 2. Ke2 Ke7
The Psychological Weapon
Beyond the humor, there's a subtle psychological advantage to playing such a seemingly bad opening. As Wesley So noted after Carlsen defeated him with a Bongcloud variant (1.f3 followed by 2.Kf2), losing to such an audacious opening can be "crushing" to an opponent's morale. It suggests either disrespect or sheer overconfidence, a potent mental blow that can throw even the strongest players off their game.
FIDE-Rated History
The Bongcloud even made its debut in a FIDE-rated game between top grandmasters. In November 2022, Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, trailing 3-0 against Hikaru Nakamura in the Chess.com Global Championship finals, boldly played a Bongcloud variant with 1.e3 and 2.Ke2. While Duda ultimately lost, it solidified the Bongcloud's place in official chess history, not just online memes.
Article
Bongcloud Attack
The Bongcloud Attack (or Bongcloud Opening) is an unconventional chess opening that consists of the moves:
1. e4 e5 2. Ke2?
It is considered a joke opening because it violates all normal principles of good opening play, and is associated with internet chess humor. Former world champion Magnus Carlsen has used it in online blitz chess, including in games against high-level opponents and Twitch streamers, such as grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura. The name has also been applied to other opening sequences in which a player moves the king on move two.
Background
Bongcloud Attack
The opening's name is thought to originate either from Chess.com user "LennyBongcloud", who used the opening with little success, or more generally in reference to a bong, a device used to smoke cannabis, humorously implying that one would need to be intoxicated to view the opening as a legitimate strategy. The opening's usage in chess humor was furthered by Andrew Fabbro's joke manual Winning with the Bongcloud.
Analysis
Bongcloud Attack
The Bongcloud Attack violates several principles of chess strategy by forgoing castling, impeding the movement of both the queen and the light-squared bishop, leaving the king exposed, not controlling the centre or developing pieces, and doing nothing to improve White's position. The lack of any redeeming feature, unlike some other dubious openings, puts the Bongcloud well outside of conventional practice.
High-level usage
Bongcloud Attack
GM Hikaru Nakamura has used the Bongcloud Attack in online blitz games. He streamed himself using the opening exclusively on a new Chess.com account and reached 3000 rating. In 2018, Nakamura played the Bongcloud three times against GM Levon Aronian during the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship, winning one game and losing two. Nakamura also played the Bongcloud against GM Vladimir Dobrov in the 3+1 section and GM Wesley So in the 1+1 section of the 2019 Speed Chess Championship, winning both games. On 19 September 2020, Nakamura used the opening against GM Jeffery Xiong in the final round of the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament played on Lichess with a 5+3 time control and won.
On 15 March 2021, Magnus Carlsen, playing white, led with the Bongcloud in a game against Nakamura at the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. Nakamura mirrored the opening with 2...Ke7?, leading to a position nicknamed the Double Bongcloud. The game was intentionally drawn by threefold repetition after the players shuffled their kings back and forth, and the opening was later jokingly named the Bongcloud Countergambit: Hotbox Variation. The game occurred in the last round of the preliminary stage of the tournament, and both players had already qualified for the following knockout stage, making the game a dead rubber. It marked the first recorded occurrence of 1.e4 e5 2.Ke2 Ke7 in a major tournament.
Despite its obvious inferiority, usage of such a "joke" opening can also have a psychological impact: following Carlsen's win over Wesley So in a 2020 blitz tournament with a 3+2 time control where Carlsen played 1.f3 (the Barnes Opening) followed by 2.Kf2 (a variant also named the "Bongcloud"), So noted that losing the game after such an opening had a crushing impact.
The first use of the joke opening in a FIDE-rated game between top grandmasters occurred during the Chess.com Global Championship finals in November 2022, which was an in-person rapid event played on Chess.com. Trailing 3–0 in his knockout match against Hikaru Nakamura, Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda played 1.e3 and 2.Ke2. Duda lost the game after missing some chances to equalise.