Is The Fried Liver Attack Playable?

Certainly when it works it's a good "gimmick."  But, is the FLA still playable if an opponent parries it?  I've had mixed experiences in this regard and am not experienced/knowledgeable enough to know if it's a good system overall.  

what is fried liver opening ?

Hi satpada,

The Fried Liver Opening is also called the Fegatello Attack.  It is a variation of the Two Knights Defence when White follows 

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

6.Nxf7 (and sacrifices the knight for development).

As fireflashghost mentioned above, the Lolli (which is 6.d4) is considered a much stronger play for White.

Having said that I prefer the Fried Liver against an amateur player like myself as Black's position can fall apart quickly unless properly prepared.

There is, to my knowledge, no Black refutation that makes the Fried Liver a "broken" choice for White.

Its fine for beginners, but dont plan on it working after that.  I think opening gimmcks, hurt your development, because people fall in love with this crap.

To: fireflashghost

I love your name !

There is also an Anti-Fried Liver Attack defense opening which starts out with 3..h6. It doesn't appear to score very well in the masters database.

Thanks LongIslandMark - that is the most common way to get there.  I should have used that in my example.  And I should have used the board!

No because 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4! 6.c3(best move) b5 7.Be2(to preserve the bishop pair) Nxd5 8.cxd4 Qxg5 9.o-o Bb7!! 10.Qf3 Ng4 11.Qg3 Nxe2+ 12.Kh1 Nxg3+ even if play deviates heavily from this white finds that no matter what black will take the initiative.

I picked up the move 9.Bxb5+ (rather than 9.O-O) and find it gives White some good play vs the 5...Nd4 variation.

There's also...

In my experience strong Black players don't allow the knight sacrifice; after 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 they play Na5, sacrificing a pawn in return.  I have a good record with the White side of this in blitz, but it's scary in a tournament game as it's easy to walk into prepared variations, and Black definitely has an initiative for the pawn.

I think I've won every tournament game where I used the Fried Liver--including two *identical* games where Black got mated early, back in the 1980's--but every time the opponent was rated lower than me.  No games against stronger players.  So rather than worrying about whether the FL is sound, I'd recommend looking at the Na5 lines to see if you're comfortable with them, because that's what you'll probably see.

You will also occasionally see the Traxler/Wilkes-Barre, 1. e4 e5 2. Nf6 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5, which is insanely complex.  Many lines are draws by perpetual.  You can die instantly in this opening; you don't want to walk into it against a well-prepared opponent unless you know it too. 

These lines are all very tactical and sharp with neither king being safe.  If you like that, they're a load of fun.  Not for the cautious or conservative player, though!

For people who don't like the Fried Liver as Black, the obvious solution is not 3. ... h6 but simply 3. ... Bc5 (Giuoco Piano).  Then if White wants spectacular fireworks right away she'll probably have to sack a pawn with d4 or b4 (the latter is what I play).  I think 3.  ... h6 is a terrible move, and I have a huge plus record against it in fast chess (I play 4. d4 and sack the d-pawn).  It basically lets White play a tempo-up version of the d4 gambit lines, as ...h6 is not particularly useful.

@mkkuhner you forgot the 5...Nd4 variation it's very strong and I don't know of any good counterplay but basically it's as if black got to play the fried liver and white didn't have a choice.