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Bongcloud Attack
The king goes for a walk on move two
- Offbeat
2.Ke2 is the most famous joke opening in chess. The king steps into the centre, loses castling, blocks in the queen and the f1 bishop and gets nothing in return. On a serious board it is simply bad, and Black only needs to develop calmly. But in blitz and on stream even the very best play it now and then: to lighten the mood, to tease an opponent, or just to laugh.
3…d5
Moves
(6 plies • 3 moves)- 1–3moves
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
Defining move
2.Ke2 — the king instead of a knight
The joke move the whole thing is about
The king goes to e2 instead of a piece being developed. It blocks the f1 bishop and the queen, stays in the centre and can no longer castle. There is no serious plan behind the move, and Black gains a free tempo for development. The whole point is that the opponent smiles, relaxes and slips.
Tabiya
Black is developed, White's king sits on e2
Black has played …Nf6 and …d5 and taken the centre. White's king on e2 blocks the f1 bishop, and castling is gone. If the centre opens, the king will be in the firing line. Black should develop without hurry and open the centre when it suits Black. White has to hide the king and hope for a slip.
White’s plan
- Develop the knights, keep the centre closed and hope the king is not hurt.
- Free the f1 bishop by getting the king off e2 as soon as circumstances allow.
- Play on the mood: amuse, distract, throw the opponent off.
Black’s plan
- Develop calmly: …Nf6, …d5, …Bd6 or …Bc5.
- Open the centre while White's king is still on e2.
- Do not laugh too early: a king on e2 can hide traps too.
History
The name is most often linked to an online user called Lenny_Bongcloud. The opening became a meme, and in 2021 Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura played a double Bongcloud, 2.Ke2 Ke7, drawing by repetition. Andrew Fabbro's tongue-in-cheek book Winning with the Bongcloud added to its fame.
Notable players
Magnus CarlsenGames in the Atlas
No games in the Atlas yet