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Black is up a piece for the time being, but the king on e6 is extremely vulnerable.The Fried Liver is often considered a “trap” that beginners fall into with black, and it’s easy to see why. Each of black’s first five moves appear to be very natural and well-aligned with the of chess, and yet here they stand with their king on e6!Yet some black players may choose to enter this line willingly.
After all, black is up a piece if black can defend white’s onslaught!Let’s analyze this position. The knight on d5 is attacked three times and only defended twice, so black must reinforce it. Black’s only two playable moves in this position are therefore the aggressive 8Nb4 and the more timid 8Ne7 8Nb4 – “Best Defense is a Good Offense!”. This is perhaps black’s most ambitious option. Black not only reinforces the d5 knight, but also threatens to fork the white king and rook with Nxc2.Two of white’s main options are to calmly defend the c2 pawn with 9. Bc2, and to play the hyper-aggressive 9. A3, dislodging the knight immediately and trying to break through to the black king even at the cost of a rook!
White plays 9. A3One of white’s most aggressive choices, in the true spirit of the fried liver, is to play 9.
![Chess Liver Opening Chess Liver Opening](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126294771/317838604.jpg)
A3 – essentially forcing black to make good on his threat! After 9Nxc2 10.
The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named after an Italian idiom meaning “dead as a piece of liver”), 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: 1. E4 Fried Liver.
Black is up a lot of material, but the e6 king is more exposed then ever. White threatens to unleash a discovered attack by moving the knight.11 Kd6 has been tried here, but now 12.
D4 could be a powerful pawn sacrifice. If black accepts this “free” pawn, then white’s dark-squared bishop will arrive on f4 in the near future, and it’s hard to imagine the black king surviving the full force of the white army.But black has a surprising defensive option that I only found with the help of computer analysis – 11Qh4!
Appears to be a tough nut for white to crack!The point is that after 12. Nxc7+ Kd7 13.
Qf7+ (otherwise black can take the loose bishop on c4 after white grabs the corner rook) 13Qe7 14. Qxe7+ Bxe7 15. White is up a pawn, but white’s knight is trapped in the corner, whereas the black knight has good chances to escape the corner after black plays Bf5!
White plays 9. Bc2In light of black’s spectacular defensive idea above, this more might be more prudent. White defends the threat to the c2 pawn and prepares to kick the knight away with a later a3 pawn advance.Black should make use of the respite white has provided them by strengthening the d5 knight with 9c6. A3 it looks like black may be in trouble, but black can now play 10Qf6, offering to give back the extra piece. Black can try to run the knight back to b8 and maintain their extra piece, but it won’t be easy!One high-profile game in this line was Zhigalko – Agdestein, World Blitz Championship 2016. This game proceeded 11. Rfe1 exd4 13.
It’s not easy for the white king to find safety, and white managed to win the game. ConclusionThe Fried Liver Attack is an exciting opening, pitting black’s material advantage against white’s attacking chances.I would recommend to most players to avoid the Fried Liver Attack with the black pieces, as one wrong move could spell disaster – but if tenacious defense is your thing, then the Fried Liver Attack could be for you! If you want to play the Fried Liver with white, make sure you understand black’s alternatives to avoid this opening, as covered in my article on the.Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to sign up in the box below – I’ll send you a free “Move by Move Guide to Chess Thinking” and make sure you never miss new content.Blake.
Given the moves in your post, the position favors White. I think most White players would enjoy the seeing the Black King out there, suffering a pin, sitting on an open file, and flapping in the breeze on move 8 with Queens on the board.Here's what Stockfish thinks after a reasonably long think:fen '1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Ng5 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.Nxf7 Kxf7 8.Qf3+ Ke69.O-O Ne5 10.Re1 c6 11.Bf4 Bd6 12.Qg3 Qf6 13.Nd2 Re8 14.Nf3 Kf7 15.Nxe5+ Kg8 16.Nd3 Rxe1+ 17.Rxe1 Bf8 18.Be5 Qh6 19.Bxd4 Be6 20.Bb3 a5 21.a4 Bf7 22.h3 Rd8 23.Ne5.with a small advantage for White. I see both players having a good game here. However, I suspect Black is walking a tightrope. That is, to maintain parity, Black must play much better than White.
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