Bongcloud Attack

The Bongcloud Attack is a "joke" chess opening that consists of the moves

1.e4 e5
2.Ke2?[1]
Bongcloud Attack
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8
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
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Moves1.e4 e5 2.Ke2
ECOC20
Named afterBong
ParentOpen Game

Other openings in which either player makes an unorthodox king move within the first three moves have also been dubbed the Bongcloud. The opening is named after the bong, a device used to facilitate the consumption of cannabis.

Description

As a joke opening, the Bongcloud Attack goes against basic principles of chess strategy. White blocks the diagonals of the bishop and queen and loses the ability to castle, putting the king in danger.[2]

The name "Bongcloud" originated from a member of the Chess.com website.[1]

High-level usage

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has used the Bongcloud Attack in online blitz games. In 2018 Nakamura played the Bongcloud three times against GM Levon Aronian during the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship, winning one of the three games.[3] Nakamura also played the Bongcloud against GM Vladimir Dobrov and GM Wesley So during the 2019 Speed Chess Championship, winning both of those matches.[4][5]

On September 19, 2020, Nakamura used the opening against GM Jeffery Xiong in the final round of the online St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament and won the game.[6]

Magnus Carlsen plays the inverted Bongcloud where he plays c3, f3, Qa4, Qh4, Kd1, and Qe1, essentially switching the positions of the King and Queen, which takes at least 6 moves to perform and gives a severe handicap to the user.[7] His win over Wesley So in a 2020 blitz tournament where he played 1.f3 (see Barnes Opening) and then 2.Kf2 has also been erroneously referred to as the Bongcloud.[8]

References
  1. "Winning With the Bongcloud" (PDF). Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  2. Mistreaver (28 March 2019). "Weird Chess Openings". Chessentials. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  3. Copeland, Sam. "Nakamura Beats Aronian In Speed Chess, Loses In Bullet". Chess.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  4. Steincamp, Isaac. "Nakamura Routs Dobrov In Speed Chess Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  5. Doggers, Peter. "Hikaru Nakamura Wins 2019 Speed Chess Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  6. "Nakamura - Xiong". chess24. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  7. Radić, Antonio (2018-12-16). "Magnus Carlsen's Improved Bong Cloud". YouTube.
  8. Barden, Leonard (2 October 2020). "Chess: Carlsen wins with 1 f3 as Play Magnus raises $42m in Oslo listing". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
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