Fried Liver Attack
A knight sacrifice on f7 that drags the black king into the middle of the board. Giulio Cesare Polerio played it before 1606, and it still wins a lot of games against the natural-looking 5...Nxd5.
| First moves | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 |
|---|---|
| ECO code | C57 (Two Knights Defense) |
| Character | Forcing, sacrificial, short games |
| Best for | Punishing a natural-looking mistake after 4.Ng5 |
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Related openings
Italian Game
The classical way to open a chess game: develop, aim at f7, castle. The best first opening for most players.
Evans Gambit
White throws in a b-pawn to gain time for c3 and d4, turning a quiet Italian into a fast attack.
Scotch Game
White opens the center on move three instead of maneuvering. The positions are clear and active, and there is less theory to learn than in the Ruy Lopez.
How the attack works
In the Two Knights Defense, attacks f7 twice, with the knight and the bishop on c4. After , the natural recapture puts the knight in front of that bishop and leaves f7 guarded only by the king. White plays , and the king has to come forward to e6 to defend the knight, because allows mate after and other moves lose the knight on d5.
With the black king on e6, White brings up the other pieces. adds a third attacker on the pinned knight on d5, and White follows with castling and to open the center. Black is a piece up for a pawn, but the king stands in the open while the white pieces arrive.
Is it sound?
White has a strong attack, but nobody has shown that it wins by force, and engines put White ahead by about two thirds of a pawn. Over the board the defense is harder to play than the attack, because Black has to find a series of only-moves with the king on e6. On Lichess, White scores about 73% after in games below 1600 and about 63% above 2000.
The Lolli Attack, , opens the center at once. Bobby Fischer thought it was very strong, and engines give it almost exactly the same edge as .
How Black avoids it
- . The main line, called the Polerio Defense. Black gives up the pawn, attacks the bishop on c4 and gets a lead in development. The theory runs deep, and engines rate the position as equal.
- or . The Ulvestad and Fritz variations, sharp counterattacks that engines like a little less than .
- (Traxler). Black ignores the threat to f7 and counterattacks f2 at once. No clear refutation is known, but engines rate it about a pawn better for White, and the play is wild for both sides.
- . Playing the Giuoco Piano instead of the Two Knights () avoids entirely.
The one move to avoid is . It looks natural and lets White choose between the Fried Liver and the Lolli Attack. On Lichess, players rated below 1600 still play it in about two games out of three.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Fried Liver Attack work?
Against it gives White a strong, lasting attack, and it wins many games at club level. Against the main line, , it never happens.
Why is it called the Fried Liver?
The name comes from the Italian "fegatello", a little piece of liver. Fegatelli are pieces of pork liver wrapped in fat netting and cooked over a fire, and the black king ends up wrapped in White's mating net in the same way.
How do I stop the Fried Liver as Black?
After , play instead of . Or avoid altogether by answering with .