Fried Liver Attack

The Fried Liver Attack begins after the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7. White sacrifices a knight to drag Black's king out into the open on move six. It is a favourite of aggressive players who enjoy calculating sharp, forcing lines rather than slow manoeuvring battles.

  • For white
  • Sharp
  • Sacrificial

Written by:

Eirik Aarnes

The Essentials

Early moves:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7
Colour:
Played by White
Style:
Sharp, sacrificial, tactical
Difficulty to learn:
Moderate
Named after:
The Italian dish "fegatello", liver wrapped and cooked over a fire.
Trivia:
The earliest known game with the sacrifice was played by the Italian theoretician Giulio Cesare Polerio before 1606.
Variations:
Main Line. Lolli Attack. Fritz Variation. Ulvestad Variation. Traxler Counterattack. Polerio Defence.
Good for:

Best suited for rating

800-2000

30015002800

Known for this opening

Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen

Levon Aronian

Levon Aronian

Alireza Firouzja

Alireza Firouzja

Giulio Cesare Polerio

Giulio Cesare Polerio

Why play the Fried Liver Attack?

Because it is a great starting point for learning attacking chess.

White develops normally, then jumps the knight to g5 and sacrifices it on f7. After Black accepts with 6...Kxf7, 7.Qf3+ drives the king further into the open.

White trades the piece for tempo: Nc3, d4, and Qf3 all pour forward while Black's king searches for shelter.

The attack has turned up in serious games from Firouzja and Aronian, usually at faster time controls.

There are drawbacks: play it half-heartedly and a piece down stays just a piece down, and Black can sidestep the whole complex with the Polerio Defence.

Still, if you enjoy forcing your opponent onto the defensive from the get-go and do not mind walking a tightrope yourself, the Fried Liver Attack is one of the most thrilling tries in the entire Italian Game family.

Try the Fried Liver Attack yourself!

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Why the Fried Liver Attack is good with the:

Initiative - White gives up a knight for time, so Black has to answer threats from the first moves.

Low prep - The core ideas are quick to learn, and the first moves follow a clear plan.

Practical chances - Black has to find accurate moves at once, or the attack gathers speed.

Suited for - Players who enjoy calculating forcing lines and want a surprise weapon for faster time controls.

Preparing chessboard...

Strategy

Typical plans, pawn breaks, and key squares.

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Material for tempo

White trades the knight on f7 for tempo, with Nc3, d4, and Qf3 already lined up against d5 and the black king.

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Sidestepping the sacrifice

After 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5, Black plays 5...Na5, hitting the bishop on c4 and preparing ...c6, ...b5, and ...Ba6 to win back the pawn without a king hunt.

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Key squares

White piles three pieces onto d5 while pinning the e5 pawn to Black's king, and the knight on b4 still eyes c2 in reply.

Traps and tactics

Two traps every Fried Liver Attack player should know.

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Themes

King in the open

Once the king has taken on f7, it is Black's main weakness and also a defender, because it blocks some of White's checks.

The way out

Black can decline the complications with a different fifth move, and then the sacrifice on f7 is never offered.

Development over material

White's lead in development and open lines matter more than the missing knight, so the game turns on whether the initiative lasts.

No time to spare

If White pauses, Black's king finds shelter and the sacrificed piece is simply a piece down. If Black pauses, the attack gathers speed.

History

From Polerio's early sacrifice to modern attacking games.

  1. Before 1606

    Origins in Rome

    Giulio Cesare Polerio plays the earliest known game with the sacrifice on f7, against a player recorded as Domenico.

  2. 1620s

    Greco's games

    In games recorded around 1620, Gioachino Greco meets 3... Nf6 with 4. Ng5. He also carries much of Polerio's work beyond Italy.

  3. 1763

    Lolli's book

    Giambattista Lolli publishes his book of opening analysis in Bologna. Later the line with 6. d4 takes his name as the Lolli Attack.

  4. 1890

    The Traxler shock

    Karel Traxler plays 4... Bc5 against J. Reinisch in Hostouň, an audacious reply that ignores the threat to f7. In the United States and the United Kingdom it is also known as the Wilkes-Barre Variation.

  5. 1960s

    Fischer's notes

    In My 60 Memorable Games, Bobby Fischer calls 6. d4, the Lolli Attack, very strong.

  6. 2020s

    Fast and sharp

    Engines consider 5... Na5 equal and 5... Nxd5 clearly better for White. At elite level 4. Ng5 is mostly a rapid and blitz weapon, played by Aronian against Caruana, Ding Liren, and Nakamura.

Model Games

Games that defined the Fried Liver Attack.

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FAQ

The Fried Liver Attack is 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7. White gives up a knight to drag Black's king into the open, aiming to attack it before it finds shelter.

It is the English name for the Fegatello Attack, from the Italian fegatello, a dish of liver wrapped in fat and cooked over a fire. The usual explanation is that Black's king, dragged out with no way to castle, is caught like the liver in a net.

Yes, but with a warning. It teaches king safety, tempo, and calculation, but it demands concrete play from both sides, so it is a tactics trainer rather than a low-maintenance opening.

It depends on Black's fifth move. Engines consider 5... Na5 equal, while 5... Nxd5 leaves White with a clear advantage after 6. Nxf7. The attack stays dangerous in practice, especially at faster time controls.

Both start with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5. The Fried Liver Attack plays 6. Nxf7 at once, while the Lolli Attack plays 6. d4 and keeps the sacrifice in reserve. Engines rate the two moves almost equally, and Bobby Fischer rated 6. d4 very highly.

It is 4... Bc5, Black's reply that ignores the threat to f7 and counter-attacks f2 instead. After 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ the play becomes very sharp. In the United States and the United Kingdom it is also called the Wilkes-Barre Variation.

After 4...d5 5.exd5, the Polerio Defence, 5...Na5, is the solid choice and reaches equality. The Ulvestad Variation, 5... b5, and the Fritz Variation, 5... Nd4, keep more tension but leave White a slight advantage. 5... Nxd5 allows the sacrifice.

Alireza Firouzja and Levon Aronian have both played 4. Ng5 in serious games. Elite players rarely make it a main weapon, and it is mostly seen at faster time controls rather than in classical chess.

Choose the Evans Gambit if you want a pawn sacrifice that builds a big centre and keeps the game open for many moves. Choose the Fried Liver Attack if you want to go straight for the king and can calculate concrete lines.

Play the Fried Liver Attack if you enjoy attacking the king from the first moves and do not mind risking a piece for the initiative.

Fried Liver Attack summarized

Colour:
Played by White
Style:
Sharp, sacrificial, tactical
Difficulty to learn:
Moderate
Variations:
Main Line. Lolli Attack. Fritz Variation. Ulvestad Variation. Traxler Counterattack. Polerio Defence.
Good for:
BulletBlitzRapid

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