Fried Liver Attack

White sacrifices a full knight on f7 to drag Black's king into the open — one of the most fearsome weapons at club level.

The moves

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7

♜

♝

♛

♚

♝

♜

♟

♞

♟

♞

♟

♝

♟

♜

♞

♝

♛

♚

♜

After 6…Kxf7 7. Qf3+ the double attack on d5 forces 7…Ke6 — Black's king defends the knight from the center of the board.
Pile on with Nc3, keep every piece attacking, and don't rush — the king can't escape, so bring reinforcements.
Even if the attack only regains material, Black's shattered king position wins the endgame.

Avoid it entirely: after 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5, play 5…Na5! (the main line) — not 5…Nxd5, which invites the sacrifice.
If you're in it, memorize: …Ne7, …c6, and give back material to trade queens — survival first, greed later.
The Traxler Counterattack (4…Bc5!?) turns the tables: Black ignores f7 and sacrifices on f2 instead.

⚠ Trap to know: 5…Nxd5 itself is the trap Black falls into — over 60% of club games from that position end in disaster for Black.

Drill the Fried Liver Attack against four levels of computer opposition, then test it in rated games — free, in your browser.