Expert: Len Molden - 1/29/2008

Question
If my opponent plays the fried liver attack, and we both play properly, whom should the whole mess end up favoring?

Answer
Hi Russell,

This is a good question as not too many people play the Fried Liver Attack nowadays, but many Black players get caught by not knowing it well enough.

With proper play by both sides, Black equalizes and in some cases, has the initiative.  Here's a few examples:

A) 9.Nf3

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5 c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nf3 Introducing what is the main line 9...e4 10.Ne5 and with Bd6 or Bc5 Black gets active play.  Of course there's a lot more to know from this point, but a study of games involving Kasparov and Morozevich on the White side is good learning material.

Besides the standard 8 Be2 there are three other moves here for White:

8.Bd3 Nd5! 9.Ne4 f5 10.Ng3 Nf4 11.Bf1 Bc5 12.c3 Bb6 13.d4 Ng6 14.Bd3 0-0 15.b4 Nb7 16.Bc4  Kh8 gave Black a strong initiative in Castaldi-Keres, Stockholm Olympiad 1937;

8.Bf1?! h6 9.Nh3 Bc5 10.d3 Qb6 11.Qe2 Bg4 12.f3 Bxh3 13.gxh3 0-0-0 and Black had a menacing attacking position in Steinitz-Chigorin, World Championship, Havana 1892;

8.Ba4? h6 9.Nf3 e4 10.Qe2 (after 10.Ne5 Qd4! Black wins a piece for inadequate compensation) 10...Bd6 11.Nd4 (11.d3 0-0 12.dxe4 Nxe4 13.0-0 Nc5 14.Bb3 Ba6 is good for Black) 11...Qb6 12.c3 0-0

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5  c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3!? This kind of move that can be very hard to meet in practical chess because it is sharp and Black may not know it.  8...h6 [Black has also tried 8...Be7 and 8...Rb8, but this seems like the best continuation] 9.Ne4 Nd5 10.Nbc3! White must develop quickly here or risk being overrun by Black's advancing e- and f-pawns.  11...0-0 12.d3 (12.Re1 f5 13.Ng3 e4 14.Qd1 Ba6 offered Black excellent compensation for the pawn in Stenzel-Brooks, Chicago 1994) 12...f5 13.Nec3 Bb7 14.a3 c5. Black does well in the main lines.

B) 9.Nh3

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5  c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nh3 Steinitz's move, which was later used by Bobby Fischer, Nigel Short and Gata Kamsky. White avoids the loss of time experienced with 9 Nf3 e4, but puts the knight on a unusual square.  And now Black can play:

9...Bd6
9...Bc5
9...g5

All of these moves offer Black good play.

Regards,

Len Molden