The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named after an Italian dish), is a chess opening 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:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! 6. Nxf7
White's move 4.Ng5 is an aggressive attacking line against the Two Knights. Black's move 5...Nxd5 is risky (5...Na5 is generally considered best). Bobby Fischer felt that 6.d4 (the Lolli AttackHooper & Whyld (1996), p. 232. Lolli Attack.) was incredibly strong, to the point 5...Nxd5 is rarely played. Fischer's analysis of this line is in game 45, Fischer - Bisguier 1963 It is classified as code C57 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.
History The Fried Liver Attack has been known for many centuries, the earliest known example being a game played by Giulio Cesare Polerio before 1606.Polerio–Giovanni Domenico d'Arminio must have been played before 1606 (Polerio's last sign of life, see: Peter Monté The Classical Era of Modern Chess (McFarland 2014), p. 273)
Considerations
After 6...Kxf7, play usually continues 7.Qf3+ Ke6 (7...Kg8 leads to a mate in 3 after 8.Bxd5+ while other moves immediately lose the knight on d5) 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). Thus, 9.Bb3, 9.Qe4, or 9.0-0 are better choices.
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.
References
Bibliography
Further reading Computer Analysis of the Fried Liver and Lolli, Dan Heisman, Chessbase CHNESO001U Re-Fried Liver, by Jon Edwards, Chess Life, July 2009, pp. 32–34.
External links
The Fried Liver Attack blog by GM Boris Alterman Fried Liver Attack The Chess Website by Kevin Butler