Fried Liver Attack 9.a3 alternatives

I like the fried liver attack too, but I think its technically a losing position for white. I would go with Bb3 with plans to go a3.

9. Qe4 is a better move and scores well for White.

a3 does not seem to risky... after all, if you have sacrificed the knight you are still probably going to lose. If you sacrifice the rook, you do it for a good reason, and increase your chances to win.

"In his famous 1970 monograph on the Two Knights' Defense, the great Russian theorist and 7th correspondence chess world champion Yakov Estrin claimed to find a win for white in the Fried Liver with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3 Nbd4 9. a3, a move first recommended by Polerio and then centuries later by the Franch Romantic, Labourdonnais. But modern analysis shows that after 9. a3 Nxc2+ 10. Kd1 Nd4! White can settle for a quick perpetual or enter a relatively even endgame. The main alternative has long been 9. Qe4 when White gets two pawns and an interesting but unclear initiative for the knight."

Excerpt from the book "The Fried Liver Attack (Chess is Fun Book 6)" by Jon Edwards. (I'd recommend for you)

Edwards goes on to say:

"After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3 Nbd4, the move 9. 0-0! threatens rather executes a3. After 9. 0-0, the main line, indeed the only meaningful defense, is 9... c6, anticipating 10. a3 by reinforcing Black's Nd5. In this line, without having played the White queen to e4, white reserves the e4 square for Nc3-e4 which itself enables the later advance of the white c-pawn in order to blast open the center. Having castled quickly, the king rook can reach the d- or e- files quickly, although the variations suggest that White should be careful about committing the rooks too early."

@ Fiveofswords

6... Qxg5

http://www.chess.com/article/view/how-do-i-get-that-1800-into-a-fried-liver

I draw your attention to:

"for about 100 years it was thought that the Fried Liver Attack was fun but equal, while the Lolli 6.d4 (delaying Nxf7 in most lines) was an improvement and the recommended move.

Then, about four years ago, a theoretician was using an engine to fool around with the main lines of the Lolli when he discovered a possible offbeat defense for Black that made his chances much better. He wrote to Komodo-author GM Larry Kaufman, who confirmed his findings, which were then published in the world's leading opening theory magazine, the New in Chess Yearbook #94 and, subsequently, Chess Life. The Lolli's reputation was in descension. That theoretician? A little-known master named Dan Heisman. 

Just previous to this, multi-time US Correspondence Champion Jon Edwards had published an article for Chess Life claiming that 9.O-O in the Fried Liver was better than thought and gave White good winning chances. Engines subsequently pointed out that 9.Bb3 does, too. Ascension for 6.Nxf7.

So, in a period of a few years, century-old theory had reversed. Instead of the popular Fried Liver being considered the inferior response to 5...Nxd5?! and the Lolli 6.d4 the one that refuted it, the roles changed! The Fried Liver was placed on the pedestal and the Lolli relegated to the notes section. Ironic, since the Fried Liver, thanks to its catchy name and earlier knight sacrifice, had the cache all along."

These positions are a lot of fun at my level though. Especially for blitz.