Chess Openings Lab
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Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack

The Fried Liver Attack is 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7, a knight sacrifice that drags Black's king into the open. White wants checks and pins on the d5 knight with Qf3+ and Nc3, while Black must walk the king to e6 and hold d5 with ...Nb4 and ...c6.

Moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7
ECO
C57
Engine
+0.84 · a clear edge for White (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
Played
3,230 games in our lichess sample
White scores
69.0%

Key ideas for both sides

White

  • After ...Kxf7, check with Qf3+ so the king must go to e6 to keep the d5 knight protected.
  • Bring Nc3 at once to add a third attacker on the pinned knight on d5.
  • Castle short and break with d4, as in the engine line, to open lines toward the king on e6.
  • If Black declines with ...Qh4 or ...Qd7, take on h8 or d5 and stay a clear amount of material ahead.

Black

  • Take with ...Kxf7; the queen moves ...Qh4 and ...Qd7 leave Black far worse in the engine lines.
  • After Qf3+, ...Ke6 is forced in practice to keep the d5 knight defended by the king.
  • Play ...Nb4 to hit c2 and add a defender to d5, then ...c6 to make the knight on d5 rock solid.
  • Once the center holds, aim for ...Kd7 and ...Kc8 to tuck the king away behind the queenside pawns.

Plans and pawn structure

White is a knight down for a pawn but has a raw attack on the king on e6. White's plan is Qf3+, Nc3, short castling and d4, then Re1 and a check on the e-file to break Black's center. Black's plan is pure defense first: ...Nb4, ...c6, and when the pressure eases, walk the king to the queenside. If Black survives the first ten moves, the extra piece decides. In club games the attack often wins first, which is why White scored 69% in this sample.

What the engine plays from here

Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position +0.84: a clear edge for White. Its three top choices for Black:

  1. +0.84 6...Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6 8.Nc3 Nb4 9.O-O
  2. +3.24 6...Qh4 7.Bxd5 Nb4 8.Nxh8 Nxd5 9.Qf3
  3. +3.68 6...Qd7 7.Nxh8 Nf4 8.O-O Bb4 9.d4

Pawns, from White's side.

How it scores on lichess

3,230 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 69.0%.

under 120071.9%
1200–159968.3%
1600–199968.0%
2000 and up56.1%

Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.

Where it goes next

  • Two Knights Defense, Fegatello Attack, Leonhardt Variation6...Kxf7 · rare

How to play against it

As Black, the cleanest fix comes earlier: ...Na5 on move five instead of the knight recapture avoids this line. Here, take the knight with ...Kxf7, go ...Ke6 after the queen check, and defend d5 with ...Nb4 and ...c6. Do not play ...Qh4 or ...Qd7, which simply lose material.

Questions

What are the moves of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack?

The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7. Its ECO code is C57.

Is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack good for White?

Stockfish 17.1 rates the position +0.84 at depth 20, which is a clear edge for White. In 3,230 lichess games from our sample, White scored 69.0%. A practical weapon at club level because defending as Black takes exact moves, but a prepared defender who knows ...Kxf7 and ...Ke6 keeps the piece.

What is the main idea of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack?

White gives a knight on f7 to drag the black king to e6, then piles up on the pinned d5 knight with Qf3+ and Nc3. Black defends with ...Nb4 and ...c6 and hopes to keep the extra piece.

What should Black play next?

The engine's first choice is Kxf7, with Qh4 and Qd7 close behind. ...Kxf7 accepts the sacrifice; every other move loses material without the extra knight to show for it.

Updated October 2026. Sources and method.