Fried Liver Attack

Learn the traps and convert the point.

4.Ng5 pokes at f7 immediately, and Black often answers badly: 5...Nxd5, 4...Bc5, and 4...Nxe4 are all common mistakes you get to punish. You also meet the solid replies Black can choose instead, like 6...c6, 6...Bd7, 5...Nd4, 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

Suhle Defense (8...h6, after 4...d5 5.exd5 5...Na5 6.Bb5+)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6

Black meets 6.Bb5+ with 6...c6, and after 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nh3 you pull the knight back from g5. Black often trades it with 9...Bxh3, so you recapture 10.gxh3 and finish developing with 11.O-O O-O. The chapter ends at 12.Nc3, aiming your knight at d5 while you hold the bishop pair against Black's isolated c6 pawn.

6...Bd7 Lines (after 4...d5 5.exd5 5...Na5 6.Bb5+)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ Bd7

When Black blocks the check with 6...Bd7 instead of 6...c6, you keep the bishop defended with 7.Qe2, also eyeing Qxe5+. After 7...Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.Bxd7 Qxd7 you trade off the light bishops, then 10.Nc3 c6 11.dxc6 Nxc6 12.d3 covers the e4 square and leaves you with a queenside pawn majority.

Fried Liver Attack (6.Nxf7, after 4...d5 5.exd5)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5

The main line starts when Black grabs the pawn with 5...Nxd5, a mistake you punish with 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6.

Fritz Variation (5...Nd4, after 4...d5 5.exd5)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4

Black retreats with 5...Nd4, and you gain a tempo with 6.c3, meeting 6...b5 with 7.Bf1 Nxd5 8.cxd4 Qxg5 9.Bxb5+ Kd8. After 10.O-O Bb7, the only good follow up is 11.Qf3, attacking Black's undefended f7 pawn while Black's king sits stuck on d8.

Ulvestad Variation (5...b5, after 4...d5 5.exd5)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 b5

Black tries 5...b5 to chase your bishop, and after 6.Bf1 Nxd5 7.Bxb5 Bb7 8.d4 exd4 9.O-O Be7 you keep the initiative with 10.Qh5 g6 11.Qh6, stopping Black from castling kingside. The chapter ends with 12.Re1, pinning the bishop on e7 to Black's king on an open file.

Traxler Counterattack (4...Bc5)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5

Black's 4...Bc5 is a mistake you punish right away with 5.Bxf7+ Ke7. After 6.Bc4 Rf8 7.O-O d6 8.Nc3 h6, Black kicks your knight, but 9.Nh7 Nxh7 10.Nd5+ Ke8 11.Qh5+ Rf7 forces Black's rook to block the check. The chapter ends with 12.Nb6, attacking the rook on a8 while threatening mate on f7.

Other 4th moves (4...Nxe4)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Nxe4

Black sometimes grabs the e4 pawn with 4...Nxe4, a mistake you meet with 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.d4, winning material since 6...Nxd4 runs into 7.c3. After 7...Nc6 8.Bb3 Nf6, you jump in with 9.Nf7, heading toward Nxh8 and a pin with Bg5 next.

What's inside

• 8 traps featured as priority lines, so you learn the tricks that win games first.
• 8 master games played in these lines, linked from the moves where they leave the course.
• 38 puzzles from real games of this opening.

Why this repertoire?

• Built for amateurs. This set targets the mistakes Black makes most often at amateur level, like 5...Nxd5, 4...Bc5, and 4...Nxe4.
• Little to memorize. The core idea repeats across chapters: 4.Ng5 hits f7, and most tries let you grab material or force checks.
• Recurring plans guide you. Whether Black answers with 6...c6, 6...Bd7, 5...Nd4, or 5...b5, you keep developing with Nc3 eyeing d5, d3 covering e4, and early castling.
• Mistakes get punished. The Traxler and 4...Nxe4 chapters turn common amateur blunders into forced material gains or mate.
• Understanding over memorizing. Traps and model games show why each capture works, from the Nxf7 fork to mating patterns like Qf7#, so you can find the moves yourself.