What is the Bongcloud Attack in Chess?
The worst opening in chess is now part of tournament history.
This Monday, the chess world witnessed a game which will surely go down in history. The game took place between the top-ranked chess player in the world, Magnus Carlsen, and his long-time rival, Hikaru Nakamura.
Carlsen played the white pieces, and opened by moving the pawn in front of his king forward two squares (1.e4). This is a powerful, classic first move supported by centuries of opening theory. Carlsen immediately attempts to establish control of the center of the board, while also making room for his queen and bishop to develop.
Nakamura went with a traditional reply, mirroring Carlsen’s move by pushing his own king’s pawn forward two squares (1…e5). This classic response is one of the most studied lines in chess. At this point, viewers were expecting these two titans to go deep into established opening theory.
However, this is where the brilliant Carlsen threw a wrench in everyone’s expectations by shockingly moving his king forward one square (2.Ke2). This opening — The Bongcloud Attack — had never before been used in such a high-level tournament.
