Fried Liver Attack

1. e4White plays e4, establishing the center.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3White develops Nf3, attacking e5.
4. Nc6Black defends e5 with Nc6.
5. Bc4White plays Bc4, the Italian setup — aiming at f7.
6. Nf6Black plays Nf6, counterattacking e4.
7. Ng5White plays Ng5, threatening Nxf7, forking queen and rook. Black must respond carefully.
8. d5Black plays d5, the best response — striking the center and opening lines.
9. exd5White captures exd5.
10. Nxd5Black recaptures Nxd5, defending e5 and centralizing the knight.
11. Nxf7The Fried Liver sacrifice — White gives up a knight to shatter Black's king position and create an unstoppable attack.
12. Kxf7Black must accept — if not, White gains material. But now Black's king is completely exposed in the center.
13. Qf3+White plays Qf3+, checking the king and attacking the d5 knight simultaneously.
14. Ke6The king is forced to e6 — the most exposed square. It cannot go back to g8 because of the queen.
15. Nc3White develops Nc3 with tempo, attacking the d5 knight again.

Instead of the immediate sacrifice, White plays 6.d4, an objectively stronger alternative. After 6...exd4 7.O-O!, White sacrifices a bishop for a powerful attack. The Lolli Attack is arguably more dangerous because it's harder to meet over the board.

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3White develops Nf3, attacking e5.
4. Nc6Black defends with Nc6.
5. Bc4White plays Bc4, the Italian bishop aiming at f7.
6. Nf6Black plays Nf6, the Two Knights Defense — counterattacking e4.
7. Ng5White plays Ng5, directly threatening Nxf7.
8. d5Black plays d5, the best response — striking back in the center.
9. exd5White captures exd5, opening lines.
10. Nxd5Black recaptures Nxd5, centralizing the knight.
11. d4The Lolli Attack — White plays d4, a powerful central strike instead of the immediate Nxf7 sacrifice. This threatens to open the center and create a devastating discovered attack on the d5 knight.

Instead of 5...Nxd5, Black plays the Fritz Variation with 5...Nd4, attacking the bishop and avoiding the Fried Liver. This is considered the best way to meet 4.Ng5 and sidestep the most dangerous theoretical lines.

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3White develops Nf3.
4. Nc6Black defends with Nc6.
5. Bc4White plays Bc4, the Italian bishop targeting f7.
6. Nf6Black plays Nf6, the Two Knights Defense.
7. Ng5White plays Ng5, threatening Nxf7.
8. d5Black plays d5, the best response to the Ng5 thrust.
9. exd5White captures exd5.
10. Nd4The Fritz! Instead of Nxd5, Black plays Nd4 — attacking the c4 bishop and avoiding the Fried Liver entirely. This is considered the theoretically correct response.
11. c3White plays c3, driving away the d4 knight while also threatening to hold onto the d5 pawn.
12. b5Black plays b5! A key counterattacking move — attacking the c4 bishop immediately and preventing it from retreating safely.
13. Bf1White retreats Bf1, the only safe square. The bishop returns home but White keeps the d5 pawn.
14. Nxd5Black recaptures Nxd5, winning back the pawn. The Fritz variation gives Black full compensation and avoids the dangerous Fried Liver sacrifice.

Instead of defending, Black plays 4...Bc5, ignoring the f7 threat entirely. After 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+, Black sacrifices material for a counter-attack. Wildly tactical positions where both kings are exposed.

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3White develops Nf3.
4. Nc6Black defends with Nc6.
5. Bc4White plays Bc4, the Italian bishop.
6. Nf6Black plays Nf6, the Two Knights Defense.
7. Ng5White plays Ng5, threatening Nxf7.
8. Bc5The Traxler! Black plays Bc5 instead of the expected d5 — completely ignoring the f7 threat and preparing a stunning counter-sacrifice on f2.
9. Nxf7White accepts and captures Nxf7, winning the rook. But Black's next move turns the tables completely.
10. Bxf2+Black plays Bxf2+, the Traxler counter-sacrifice. Black gives up the bishop to rip open White's king position.
11. Kxf2White must capture Kxf2 — the bishop cannot be ignored.
12. Nxe4+Black plays Nxe4+, a devastating fork — the king and queen are both attacked simultaneously.
13. Kg1White retreats Kg1, the only safe square. White has won a rook and bishop for a knight, but the king is exposed and Black's initiative is immense.