Chessy
The Fried Liver Attack
Black just played 5...Nxd5 — and White now has the opportunity to launch one of chess's most famous attacking sacrifices. Your move: find Nxf7 and put Black's king under fire.
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Create a free account →How the attack is triggered
From 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 — Black recaptures the pawn with the knight, the most common response. This is the moment: White can now sacrifice a piece on f7 and send Black's king on the run. It's the most played attacking choice in this position — of 6,266,722 Lichess games, 3,325,986 saw 6.Nxf7 (the next-most-common move lags far behind), scoring 69.3% for White.
The sacrifice: Nxf7! Kxf7 Qf3+ Ke6
White plays 6.Nxf7!, sacrificing the knight for two pawns and — crucially — Black's right to castle. After 6...Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6, Black's king is forced to the center with the whole game still to be played. Stockfish evaluates this at +1.11 for White: a real and meaningful advantage, with a dangerous practical attack. This is not a forced win — best defense from Black fights on — but the initiative and attacking chances are squarely White's.
Why the sacrifice is so dangerous
The Fried Liver's punch is permanent king dislocation. Black's king can never castle; it gets dragged forward into open lines while White has both bishops and the queen bearing down. The c4-bishop already targets the d5-knight, and Qf3+ with Nc3 follows naturally. A +1.11 edge with a king in the center and no piece coordination is exactly the kind of position that becomes +3 in ten moves if Black missteps. It demands near-perfect defense under pressure.
How Black can fight back
Black's best defense is complex and well-researched: 7...Ke6 is the engine's top choice — the king heads for d6 or c7 to find shelter. Avoiding the Fried Liver is also possible: instead of 5...Nxd5, Black can play 5...Na5 (hitting the c4-bishop) which sidesteps the sacrifice entirely and gives Black a more comfortable game. At the club level, being prepared with the defensive plan matters far more than trying to avoid the line.
Results across 6,266,722 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| Nxf7 | 3,325,986 | 69.3% |
| Qf3 | 1,342,574 | 58.6% |
| d3 | 830,915 | 54.5% |
| d4 | 275,826 | 56.8% |
| Bxd5 | 226,368 | 41.5% |
| Nc3 | 81,240 | 48.6% |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Fried Liver Attack?
A knight sacrifice for two pawns and a positional attack: after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5, White plays 6.Nxf7!, forcing Black's king into the center. It's one of the most popular aggressive lines in the Two Knights Defense.
Is the Fried Liver Attack a forced win?
No. Stockfish evaluates it at +1.11 for White — a clear advantage and dangerous attack, but Black can fight back with accurate defense starting with 6...Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6. The line requires White to convert the initiative precisely, and Black has resources with best play.
How does Black avoid the Fried Liver?
After 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5, play 5...Na5 instead of 5...Nxd5. The knight attacks the c4-bishop and sidesteps the sacrifice entirely. 5...Nd4 is another try. These sidesteps give Black a reasonable game without walking into the knife-edge of the Fried Liver.
Why is it called the Fried Liver Attack?
The origin is disputed, but it likely comes from Italian chess slang — 'fegato fritto' — describing the brutality of the sacrifice. Black's position 'gets fried' by the piece sacrifice and king-hunt that follows.