Fried Liver Attack
The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named after an Italian dish), is a chess opening. This opening is a 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:
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| Moves | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | C57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Polerio vs. Domenico, Rome c. 1610 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Italian dish ("Fegatelli" is pork liver sliced up, wrapped in fat netting and cooked over a fire; likewise Black's king is wrapped in White's mating net) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Two Knights Defense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | Fegatello Attack | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is the Two Knights Defense where White has chosen the offensive line 4.Ng5, but 5...Nxd5 is risky (5...Na5, the Polerio Defense, is considered better; other Black choices include 5...b5 and 5...Nd4). Bobby Fischer felt that 6.d4! (the Lolli Attack) was incredibly strong, to the point 5...Nxd5 is rarely played; however, the Fried Liver Attack involves the move 6.Nxf7, a knight sacrifice on f7.
The opening is popular with younger players who like the name and the aggressive, attacking style. It is classified as code C57 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.