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Fried Liver Attack

A knight sacrifice on f7 drags Black's king into the open. It is centuries old, and it still catches players online.

Trap · as White

The trap

  1. 1.e4 · White starts with the king's pawn and plans quick development.
  2. 1...e5 · Black answers in kind.
  3. 2.Nf3 · The knight attacks e5 and gets ready for the kingside.
  4. 2...Nc6 · Black guards the pawn with the knight.
  5. 3.Bc4 · The Italian bishop aims at f7, the square only Black's king defends.
  6. 3...Nf6 · The Two Knights: Black counterattacks e4 instead of copying White.
  7. 4.Ng5 · The knight jumps at f7 with the bishop behind it: two attackers on one weak square.
  8. 4...d5 · Black blocks the bishop's line with a pawn in the center, the right idea.
  9. 5.exd5 · White takes, and the pawn on d5 now attacks the knight on c6.
  10. 5...Nxd5?! · The natural recapture, and the one White hopes for. It lets the knight sacrifice on f7 begin.
  11. 6.Nxf7! · The Fried Liver: the knight gives itself up on f7, forking the queen and the rook.
  12. 6...Kxf7 · Black takes, and the king is dragged out of its shelter.
  13. 7.Qf3+ · Check, and now the queen and the bishop both attack the knight on d5.
  14. 7...Kg8?? · Hiding looks sensible but loses at once. The king had to step up to e6 to keep guarding the knight.
  15. 8.Bxd5+ · The bishop takes the knight with check along the open diagonal.
  16. 8...Be6 · Black blocks the check. Every reply runs into mate.
  17. 9.Bxe6# · Checkmate. The bishop checks from e6, the queen covers f7, and Black's own pieces block f8 and h8.

How to beat it

  1. 5...Na5! · The best answer: the knight hits the bishop on c4 before White can sacrifice on f7.
  2. 6.Bb5+ · The bishop escapes with check and keeps hold of the extra pawn for now.
  3. 6...c6 · Black blocks and offers a pawn to speed up development.
  4. 7.dxc6 · White takes again and is two pawns up for the moment.
  5. 7...bxc6 · Black takes back, and the bishop on b5 is attacked once more.
  6. 8.Be2 · The bishop drops back to safety. White is a pawn up but behind in development.
  7. 8...h6 · The knight on g5 is kicked away, and Black gains more time.
  8. 9.Nf3 · The knight goes back to f3, the only good square it has.
  9. 9...e4 · Black chases it again with the e-pawn and grabs space.
  10. 10.Ne5 · The knight settles on e5. Black's quick pieces make up for the pawn, and the chances are level.

The story

The Fried Liver is one of the oldest attacks in chess. Records of it go back to the early 1600s, including a game credited to the Italian master Giulio Cesare Polerio. The Italians called it the fegatello, a little piece of liver. Nobody is quite sure how a dish ended up naming a chess line, but picture Black's king sizzling in the middle of the board and it starts to make sense.

It never went away, and it is still played at every level, from club players to grandmasters, because it is short, forcing and spectacular: two pieces aim at f7, the knight crashes in, and the black king has to walk out under fire. Club players fall for it so often that the king retreat to g8, which loses by force, is their fourth most common reply.

Here is the good news. Black never has to allow it. After 4...d5 5.exd5, the calm 5...Na5 hits the bishop, wins time and gives Black fair chances. Learn that one move and the liver stays raw.

Sources: Chess.com: Italian Game, Fried Liver Attack · Chess.com: Fried Liver Attack, chess opening

Verdict

Sound · Black must know 5...Na5

Gambit

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Opening names and lines: Lichess chess-openings (CC0) · Not affiliated with Lichess.