Italian Game: Fried Liver Attack
The Fried Liver Attack is one of the variations of the Italian Game, a 1.e4 opening. It's an aggressive opening in which White sacrifices a knight to gain the initiative and lure the black king to the middle of the board. It's uncommon to see the Fried Liver played by masters, and at the top level, Black avoids this line. However, it's an important line of the Italian Game and a must-know variation for those who play it (or against it).
Starting Position
The Fried Liver starts after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7. White sacrifices a knight, with no viable way for Black to decline it.
After Black captures the knight with the king, White's idea is to bring the queen out with 7.Qf3+. With this move, White checks the enemy king and adds another attacker to the black d5-knight, forcing the Black's king to go to e6 to defend the piece.
Pros
- White gets immense initiative for the sacrificed piece.
- Black can lose quickly if they don't know theory.
Cons
- White has to play accurate moves to have compensation for the sacrificed piece.
Main Variations Of The Fried Liver
There is only one viable (and rather counterintuitive) line for Black to play the Fried Liver; all the other options lose instantly. Below you can see Black's correct continuation and a few of the other most common and losing lines.
7...Ke6
Black's only way to survive the Fried Liver is with the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6. Black moves the king toward the center of the board because it's the only way to save the d5-knight.
After this, Black's only plan is to consolidate their position—a task that computers can pull off but proves to be very difficult for humans.
7...Qf6
Many club players who don't know theory play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Qf6. Black blocks the check and offers a queen trade, which would benefit them since they are currently a piece up. However, White can simply regain the piece with 8.Bxd5+ and gain a winning position with an extra pawn and a safer king.
7...Ke8
Another common mistake Black can make is playing 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke8. Black gives the piece back and retreats the king to a seemingly safer place. However, the extra pawn and a much better position give White a winning advantage.
7...Kg8
Another mistake for Black is taking the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Kg8. Surprisingly, this is the fourth most common move among club players, even though it leads to checkmate.
History Of The Fried Liver
The Fried Liver variation of the Italian Game is one of the oldest openings in chess, with records dating back to the 1600s. In fact, one of the most famous games with this opening happened in 1610 between Giulio Cesare Polerio and Domenico.
Many theories try to explain why this variation is called the "Fried Liver." Some sources indicate that Italians called this opening the "fegatello," which literally translates to "little liver." However, there is no clear explanation of how that expression came to refer to this opening.