| Openingname: | Fried Liver Attack |
| Moves: | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 |
| Eco: | C57 |
| Birth: | Polerio vs. Domenico, Rome c. 1610 |
| Nameorigin: | Italian dish ("Fegatelli" is pork liver sliced up, wrapped in fat netting and cooked over a fire; likewise Black's king is wrapped in White's mating net[1]) |
| Parentopening: | Two Knights Defense |
| Aka: | Fegatello Attack |
The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named after an Italian dish), is a chess opening. This opening is a variation of the Two Knights Defense in which White sacrifices a knight for an attack on Black's king. The opening begins with the moves:
3. Bc4 Nf6
4. Ng5 d5
5. exd5 Nxd5?!
6. Nxf7
This is the Two Knights Defense where White has chosen the offensive line 4.Ng5, but 5...Nxd5 is risky (5...Na5, the Polerio Defense, is considered better; other Black choices include 5...b5 and 5...Nd4). Bobby Fischer felt that 6.d4! (the Lolli Attack) was incredibly strong, to the point 5...Nxd5 is rarely played;[2] however, the Fried Liver Attack involves the move 6.Nxf7, a knight sacrifice on f7.
The opening is popular with younger players who like the name and the aggressive, attacking style. It is classified as code C57 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.
The Fried Liver Attack has been known for many centuries, the earliest known example being a game played by Giulio Cesare Polerio before 1606.[3] [4] Computer chess programs, including those on large mainframes, were reportedly still vulnerable to the attack in 1980.[5]
After 6...Kxf7, play usually continues 7.Qf3+ Ke6 (7...Kg8?? leads to a mate in 3 after 8.Bxd5+) 8.Nc3 (diagram). Black will play 8...Nb4 and follow up with ...c6, bolstering their pinned knight on d5. White can the b4-knight to abandon protection of the d5-knight with 9.a3, a move Yakov Estrin recommended, but Black is quite strong after 9.a3 Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nd4!? or 10...Nxa1! 11.Nxd5 Qh4! when White's attack runs out (12.Nxc7+ Kd7 13.Qf7+ Qe7 and the queens come off; after 12.Nb6+ Ke7, 13.Nxc8+ is met by 13...Rxc8 14.d3 Kd8, and 13.Qf7+ is met by 13...Kd8 14.Nxa8 Bd7; either way, Black's king is safe and Black has the advantage).[6] Thus, 9.Bb3, 9.Qe4, or 9.0-0 are better choices.[7] [6]
White has a strong attack, but it has not yet been proven to be decisive. Because defence is harder to play than attack in this variation, the Fried Liver is dangerous for Black, particularly with shorter time controls.