In 2018, Nakamura played the Bongcloud three times against GM Levon Aronian during the Speed Chess Championship, winning one and losing two. He streamed himself using the opening exclusively on a new account and reached 3000 rating. GM Hikaru Nakamura has used the Bongcloud Attack in online blitz games. The lack of any redeeming feature, unlike some other dubious openings, puts the Bongcloud well outside of conventional practice. The Bongcloud Attack violates several accepted principles of chess strategy by forgoing castling, impeding the movement of both the queen and the light-squared bishop, leaving the king exposed, wasting a tempo, and doing nothing to improve White's position. The opening's usage in chess humor was furthered by Andrew Fabbro's joke manual Winning With the Bongcloud. The opening's name is thought to originate either from user "Lenny_Bongcloud", 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 think that using the opening is a legitimate strategy. The name has also been applied to other opening sequences in which a player moves the king on move two. Twitch streamers such as Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura have used it in online blitz chess, including in games against high-level opponents, as has former world champion Magnus Carlsen. Being a poor opening, its usage can suggest a self-imposed challenge. It is considered a joke opening and is associated with internet chess humor. The Bongcloud Attack (or Bongcloud Opening) is an irregular chess opening that consists of the moves:
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