Fried Liver Attack | Chess Opening

The Fried Liver Attack holds the award for the coolest opening name in chess. This variation of the Two-Knights Defense involves a bold knight sacrifice which forces the black king to take a walk. This variation is also known as the Fegatello Attack, an Italian term which means "dead as a piece of meat!" 

The key position in the Fried Liver Attack.

Let's take a look at what moves bring about this opening:

It is easy to see from the above position that Black's king is walking on thin ice. Many brilliant games have been played in this variation. Let us take a look how Paul Morphy crushed his father Alonzo Morphy when he was only thirteen years old!

The great Paul Morphy.

This opening variation is still alive and kicking today at the amateur and grandmaster level. For the last game, we will look at a more recent example between two 2600-level players. Even though this game was played over 200 years after the Morphy game, you can see the dangerous attack crashing through for White. Note: The black player was one of Magnus Carlsen's first coaches!

The Fried Liver Attack is a fun way to go after the king with a knight sacrifice if Black boldly takes the pawn on d5. 

Are you ready to test your knowledge? ➨ Learn about the Fried Liver Attack in our Opening Explorer!

In the opening explorer, you will be able to see the most common moves in each position, their results, and relevant games. 

And... if you are brave enough to test this in your games, do not forget to share your best masterpieces in the comments!