how to Counterstrike the Fried Liver

You can try lines like the traxler-countergambit where you play Bc5 and give up f7 however it's pretty tricky to play. The main "refutation" of the fried liver is the polio defense where after Ng5 you play d5! sacrificing a pawn for activity after lines like exd5 Na5 Bb5+ c6 dxc6 bxc6 Be2/Bd3 and black's plan is to castle and play h6 and expand with f5 and get his pawns rolling in the center. At the cost of a pawn, black has better piece activity and more central presence.

Don't ever allow the Fried Liver! Many amateurs are even clueless what the Fried Liver is. They think 4.Ng5 is the Fried Liver. It isn't! If Chess.com claims it is, it is wrong. Chess.com labels MANY openings incorrectly. Whoever wrote the program was drunk when he did it.

The Fried Liver is Specifically 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5? 6.Nxf7. DO NOT EVER ALLOW THIS!

Play the "Main Line" Two Knights Defense and White has NADA in the 4.Ng5 line. The whole line is an outright joke.

4.Ng5?! d5 5.exd5 Na5!! There is some theory to study, and some lines where Black must give away a pawn, especially in the lines with Qf3, but Black is actually borderline better in most lines and never worse than fully equal with best play.

5...Na5!!, NOT 5...Nxd5, walking into the Fried Liver.

When I was a kid, I had some very nice games in scholastic tournaments with 5...Na5, including some nice mating attacks. White's best line in this opening is 8 Bd3 Nd5 9 Nf3 Bd6 10 0-0 Nf4, followed by ...Nxd3 and it's clear Black has full compensation for his pawn.

8 Qf3 cxb5(!) (...h6 and ...Rb8 are also good, if you don't feel like sacrificing the rook on a8) 9 Qxa8 Qc7 10 Qf3 Nc6 11 c3 Bg4 12 Qg3 Nd4 13 Na3 Ne2 is another messy line, 14 Qd3 Nf4 15 Qxb5+ Bd7 16 Qc4 Qb7 17 f3 Bxa3 leads to a position where White is 2 pawns up but has no development to speak of, and Black can win the exchange with ...Bb5 after White castles. (Note: 18 Qxf7+? Kd8 19 bxa3? Qa6 will lead to a miniature).

9...Be7 10 0-0 0-0 is also good. (9...Be7 10 d4 can be met by 10...Qc7).

Like others have suggested, 5...Na5 or even 5...b5!? is how black should play. That being said, you also just have the option of playing 3...Bc5 instead of 3...Nf6 if you do not like the complications. Both are good, it's just a matter of preference.

Just a very generic guide, which you may use to study the lines further.

The Fried Liver Attack is one of the Greatest Chess Openings in History!

There is No Defense to the Fried Liver Attack.

Millions of people have analyzed the position.

Chess Engines have played the position out.

It seems to me that the Black position is losing by force.

The Best Counter Strike you can do is to Resign.

Resigning - Will help you save time

No point playing out the inevitable.

Just play 3…Bc5 instead of Nf6 and there will be no Fried liver discussion anymore.

You can play the Normal Variation and Polerio Defense, it's the best but most predictable.

You must have Huge Brass Coconuts for wanting to play that position as Black!

Rock on, Buddy!

Keep White Honest, Make sure they demonstrate proper winning technique!

See - What move White plays on move 9!

You can tell a lot about a man on what move they play on move 9 in Fried Liver!

If White plays 9.a3 or 9.0-0, I think you still have chances as Black!

Go for it!

Bring them Pain!

If White plays 9.Bb3 or Qe4, It’s over!

If they find those moves, they know what they are doing and it’s curtains for you.

Really? You must have missed many episodes.

- 9.a3? is bad due to 9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.Nxd5 Qh4!!

- 9.Qe4?! is a second tier move after 9...c6 10.a3 Na6.

- 9.Bb3 is interesting, but allows Black to return the piece with an acceptable game after 9...c6 10.a3 Qf6!

- 9.0-0! is the major headache, which requires extreme precision from Black to stay alive. The main line goes 9...c6 10.d4 Qf6 11.Qd1! Ke7 12.Re1 etc.

I see couple of fools saying Black ought to resign. Baloney! Those delusional noobs don't understand chess.

Of course, that said, I sit here and lay back, feet on the table, laughing at all the fools that even remotely allow this. I have a far simpler solution where the only deviations I have to deal with are those on move 2, like the Vienna, Bishops Opening, or Kings Gambit. No Italian will be played against me. 2...Nf6! Petroff Baby!

9.a3 was played by Super Grandmasters and because the line was played by high caliber chess players the line is part of the history of this line.

White did win with the move 9.a3 and Black did play 9…Nxc2+.

The position is considered messy and the winning continuation is unclear, but it worth mentioning because some players might play it due to their chess idles playing it.

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9.Bb3 has been the main line.

It was analyzed to a win.

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9.Qe4 is the move I play.

I have analyzed the line and people even analyzed the line on chess forums. I can’t remember what Forum it was, but it does win with best play.

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9.0-0 has been played as well in the position.

However, I was told with best play the line draws. Are you saying with best play the line can win?

We are not Fools.

You’re just not understanding the OP question.

The OP is trying to counter strike the Fried Liver.

The Fried Liver is a very specific chess position.

The above position is the Fried Liver.

Now, how do you counter it?

As I previously stated, With Perfect Play, Black can’t counter because the position is completely losing.

However, Some Gutsy Chess players might play this line as Black to see if White knows how to win.

This position is winning for White, but only if they know the proper technique to win.

Sometimes winning a won position can be the hardest thing to do in chess so the OP could be testing out his opponent’s to see if they know.

I don’t know the OP intention’s.

Personally, I respect the OP decision even if I don’t agree. I wouldn’t let White play a Fried Liver against me, but I have seen people try to play Black position out.

I think the critical part will be around move 9

I think depending on what White does on move 9 that will be the tell tale sign.

Is that so clear? The engine gives somewhere in the neighborhood of +1.1, which is borderline. And it's sometimes pointed out that nobody's yet found a clear outright win.

Don't get me wrong -- you definitely shouldn't allow this. Period.

And practically, it's probably worse than the engine evaluation. But the game won't win itself.

A few weeks ago, at the local club, my opponent was late, so I watched a game unfold between two 1900-players. The guy playing black is notorious for not knowing anything about opening theory, and I watched his distress as he fell into 6. Nxf7 (it definitely wasn't something he was prepared for...).

But he held it together, and when I came back for a look an hour later, he had given back the piece and made it to a pawn-down rook ending where it looked like he could hold a draw. Then, after another hour, when I took another look, it turned out he'd completely outplayed the guy and was now on the verge of winning. And he did.

Like they say, there's nothing harder to win than a won game.

If White knows what he is doing, Black is lost.

A lot of positions in the Fried Liver have been analyzed to death and Centurion Chess has also ironed out a lot of positions.

However, Not all White continuations are created Equal.

Some continuations are Winning for White and some continuations are very Sketchy.

This is what I have been saying.

If the OP wants to play the Black side of the Fried Liver to see if his opponents will screw up, He has every right in the world to do so!

I don’t advise it, but it’s the OP right.

If the OP wants to keep White Honest, I say God Bless him. Rock on OP!

Let White demonstrate the perfect technique.

The way I would play the White position would be super easy!

My Scythe of choice is 9.Qe4.

The Chess Grim Reaper smiles at this position because it knows Black fate is sealed.

The 1st Key Defensive move Black needs to find happens on move 11.

If Black can’t find the STAR Defensive move, A Hurricane of Attacks unleashes on the Black position.

If Black does find the STAR Defensive move, It only delays the inevitable for a short time.

White will win this position with a 4 vs. 2 King Pawn Majority End game with a Pawn Roller up the Gut!