Fried Liver Attack Repertoire

Hit Black's weakest square from move four and master the sharp lines, knight sacrifice included.

4.♘︎g5Ng5 pokes at f7 immediately, and Black often answers badly: 5...♘︎xd5Nxd5, 4...♗︎c5Bc5 and 4...♘︎xe4Nxe4 are risky choices you get to punish. You also meet the solid replies Black can choose instead, like 6...c6, 6...♗︎d7Bd7, 5...♘︎d4Nd4 and 5...b5, each with a concrete plan. Traps, master games and puzzles turn these patterns into something you can find at the board.

What you'll learn

Steinitz Variation (9.♘︎h3Nh3)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 d5 5.exd5 ♘︎a5Na5 6.♗︎b5Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.♗︎e2Be2 h6 9.♘︎h3Nh3

Black's most common answer, 5...♘︎a5Na5 6.♗︎b5Bb5+ c6, gives up a pawn for activity. After 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.♗︎e2Be2 h6 you pull the knight back with 9.♘︎h3Nh3, and you have a plan against 9...♗︎xh3Bxh3, 9...♗︎c5Bc5 and 9...♗︎d6Bd6. When Black trades with 9...♗︎xh3Bxh3 10.gxh3 ♗︎c5Bc5, you castle with 11.O-O O-O and bring out 12.♘︎c3Nc3, aiming at d5 while you hold the bishop pair against Black's isolated c6 pawn in a balanced game.

Polerio Defense (6...♗︎d7Bd7)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 d5 5.exd5 ♘︎a5Na5 6.♗︎b5Bb5+ ♗︎d7Bd7

When Black blocks the check with 6...♗︎d7Bd7 instead of 6...c6, you keep the bishop defended with 7.♕︎e2Qe2, which also eyes the e5 pawn. After 7...♗︎d6Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.♗︎xd7Bxd7 ♕︎xd7Qxd7 you trade off the light bishops, then 10.♘︎c3Nc3 c6 11.dxc6 ♘︎xc6Nxc6 12.d3 covers the e4 square and leaves you a pawn up with a queenside majority. You also learn the 7...♗︎e7Be7 lines, where 8.♘︎f3Nf3 hits the e5 pawn.

Fried Liver Attack (6.♘︎xf7Nxf7)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 d5 5.exd5 ♘︎xd5Nxd5 6.♘︎xf7Nxf7 ♔︎xf7Kxf7 7.♕︎f3Qf3+

The main line starts when Black grabs the pawn with 5...♘︎xd5Nxd5, and you sacrifice the knight with 6.♘︎xf7Nxf7 ♔︎xf7Kxf7 7.♕︎f3Qf3+. You learn Black's three main replies: after 7...♔︎e6Ke6 8.♘︎c3Nc3 your pieces swarm the pinned knight on d5, after 7...♕︎f6Qf6 8.♗︎xd5Bxd5+ you win back more than the piece, and after 7...♔︎e8Ke8 8.♗︎xd5Bxd5 the natural 8...♘︎d4Nd4 runs into 9.♕︎f7Qf7#.

Fritz Variation (5...♘︎d4Nd4)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 d5 5.exd5 ♘︎d4Nd4

Black answers with 5...♘︎d4Nd4, and you gain a tempo with 6.c3. Against 6...b5 you play 7.♗︎f1Bf1 ♘︎xd5Nxd5 8.cxd4 ♕︎xg5Qxg5 9.♗︎xb5Bxb5+ ♔︎d8Kd8, and after 10.O-O ♗︎b7Bb7 the move that keeps your edge is 11.♕︎f3Qf3, attacking the undefended f7 pawn while Black's king sits stuck on d8. After 7.♗︎f1Bf1 you also learn 7...♘︎f5Nf5 8.♗︎xb5Bxb5+, and 7...h6, where 8.cxd4 hxg5 9.dxe5 ♘︎xd5Nxd5 10.♗︎xb5Bxb5+ leaves you two pawns up. Against 6...♘︎f5Nf5 you play 7.d3, keep the extra pawn and finish developing.

Ulvestad Variation (5...b5)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 d5 5.exd5 b5

Black tries 5...b5 to chase your bishop, and you answer 6.♗︎f1Bf1. After 6...♘︎xd5Nxd5 7.♗︎xb5Bxb5 ♗︎b7Bb7 8.d4 exd4 9.O-O ♗︎e7Be7 you keep the initiative with 10.♕︎h5Qh5 g6 11.♕︎h6Qh6, stopping Black from castling kingside, and 12.♖︎e1Re1 pins the bishop on e7 to Black's king on the open e-file. The chapter also covers 6...♕︎xd5Qxd5 and 6...♘︎d4Nd4, plus the new 6...h6 lines, where 7.♘︎xf7Nxf7 ♔︎xf7Kxf7 8.dxc6 wins the piece back, leaving you two pawns up with Black's king exposed on f7.

Traxler Counterattack (4...♗︎c5Bc5)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 ♗︎c5Bc5

Black's 4...♗︎c5Bc5 ignores the threat on f7, and you take the pawn right away with 5.♗︎xf7Bxf7+. After 5...♔︎e7Ke7 6.♗︎c4Bc4 ♖︎f8Rf8 7.O-O d6 8.♘︎c3Nc3 h6, Black kicks your knight, but 9.♘︎h7Nh7 ♘︎xh7Nxh7 10.♘︎d5Nd5+ ♔︎e8Ke8 11.♕︎h5Qh5+ ♖︎f7Rf7 forces Black's rook to block the check, and 12.♘︎b6Nb6 attacks the rook on a8 while threatening ♕︎xf7Qxf7 mate. You also learn the 5...♔︎f8Kf8 lines, where Black throws pieces at f2.

Ponziani-Steinitz Gambit (4...♘︎xe4Nxe4)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 ♘︎xe4Nxe4

Black sometimes grabs the e4 pawn with 4...♘︎xe4Nxe4, a mistake you meet with 5.♗︎xf7Bxf7+ ♔︎e7Ke7 6.d4, with Black's king stuck in the center. If 6...♘︎xd4Nxd4, 7.c3 kicks the knight, and after 7...♘︎c6Nc6 8.♗︎b3Bb3 ♘︎f6Nf6, 9.♘︎f7Nf7 forks Black's queen and the rook on h8. You also learn 6...h6, where 7.♘︎xe4Nxe4 ♔︎xf7Kxf7 8.d5 chases Black's knight until g4 wins it.

What's inside

• 56 lines across 7 chapters, with the key traps marked as priority lines so you learn the tricks that win games first.
• 10 master games played in these lines.
• 38 puzzles from real games of this opening.

Why this repertoire?

• Built for club players. It targets the mistakes Black makes most often at club level, like 5...♘︎xd5Nxd5, 4...♗︎c5Bc5 and 4...♘︎xe4Nxe4.
• One idea ties it together. 4.♘︎g5Ng5 hits f7 in every chapter, and most tries let you grab material or force checks.
• Recurring plans guide you. Whether Black answers with 6...c6, 6...♗︎d7Bd7, 5...♘︎d4Nd4 or 5...b5, you keep developing with ♘︎c3Nc3 eyeing d5, d3 covering e4, and early castling.
• Mistakes get punished. The Traxler Counterattack and Ponziani-Steinitz Gambit chapters turn risky replies into material gains or mating attacks.
• Understanding over memorizing. Traps and model games show why each capture works, from the ♘︎xf7Nxf7 fork to mating patterns like ♕︎f7Qf7#, so you can find the moves yourself.