Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Ke2
Bongcloud Attack
edit2. Ke2
editKe2 is an interesting move. It significantly worsens White's position by exposing the king, giving up the right to castle, blocking in the queen and bishop, and providing no improvement to White's position. All that being said, it can be used as a surprise to unseat Black. Also, due to the dubiousness of the opening, it can be used as a form of handicap. An early 'joke' idea of this opening is to prepare for an early endgame by developing the king.
Sometimes, games are played that begin with the Bongcloud Attack in which the players try to move the king to the opposite side of the board rather than achieve a checkmate.
In a tournament, GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Hikaru Nakamura played the "double bongcloud" wherein both players played symmetrically with 2. Ke2 Ke7. The match had no tournament standing implications and was quickly drawn via threefold repetition.[1]