Fried Liver Attack
Black takes a pawn back with the knight. You give up a knight on f7 and drag the king into the open.
63%of players rated around 800 take back with the knight here
Your opponent's Chess.com rating
Playing Black against it? Defend against it
Good to know
- Opening
- Italian Game
- You play
- White
- The trap is set on
- Move 5
- What you win
- An attack on a king stuck in the open
- If they do not bite
- You keep an extra pawn
- Games counted
- 21 million on Lichess
How to defend against the Fried Liver Attack
Attack the bishop with your knight. 26% of players rated around 800 find it. Leave the pawn, and chase the bishop that aims at f7.
A pawn down, with the better pieces.
The way out, move by move, as BlackFried Liver Attack moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6 8.Nc3 Nd4 9.Bxd5+
- 1.e4Push your king's pawn
The usual first move.
- 1…e5Black pushes the king's pawn too
Black meets you in the centre.
- 2.Nf3Bring your knight out
The knight attacks Black's pawn on e5.
- 2…Nc6Black's knight defends the pawn
Both sides have a knight out.
- 3.Bc4Bring your bishop out to c4
This is the Italian Game. The bishop points at f7, the square beside Black's king.
- 3…Nf6Black brings the other knight out
This is the Two Knights Defence. It attacks your pawn and leaves f7 alone.
- 4.Ng5Jump your knight to g5
Knight and bishop now both attack f7. Black has one good way to stop it.
- 4…d5Black pushes the d pawn
The pawn blocks your bishop. This is the right move.
- 5.exd5Take the pawn
The trap is set. You want the knight to take the pawn back.
- 5…Nxd5The knight takes back
63% of players rated around 800 take back with the knight. This is the mistake.
- 6.Nxf7Give up your knight on f7
The knight attacks the queen and the rook, so the king has to take it.
- 6…Kxf7The king takes the knight
Now the king is out in the open.
- 7.Qf3+Check with your queen
The queen checks the king and attacks the knight on d5 a second time.
- 7…Ke6The king steps up
29% of them find the only move that keeps the knight. The king now stands in the middle of the board.
- 8.Nc3Bring your other knight out
A third piece attacks the pinned knight, and the king has nowhere safe to go.
- 8…Nd4The other knight attacks your queen
38% of them jump at your queen. It looks strong, but your check comes first.
- 9.Bxd5+Take the knight with check
Black must see to the king first. You have the piece back, and the king is still out in the open.
You win the knight back.
See it one move at a timeFried Liver Attack questions
What if they do not fall for the Fried Liver Attack?
37% of players rated around 800 play something else. Then you keep an extra pawn.
How do you defend against the Fried Liver Attack?
As Black, attack the bishop with your knight. 26% of players rated around 800 find it. Leave the pawn, and chase the bishop that aims at f7. A pawn down, with the better pieces.
What do you win with the Fried Liver Attack?
An attack on a king stuck in the open. In the main line, you win the knight back.
At what rating does the Fried Liver Attack work?
It works best against players under 400, where 73% take back with the knight. Against players at 2100 and up, 4% do.
More traps
All opening trapsCounted from the rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess that reached this position. Ratings are shown as Chess.com ratings: the games are grouped by Lichess rating, which runs higher, and each group is named by the Chess.com rating it comes to in ChessGoals' comparison of players with an account on both. A rating with fewer than 300 such games shows no number.