Carnivore Chess

This posting on the Fried Liver Attack is in direct response to  wallyfives  posting on Charles Bronson's Chess Tips/I'm Sorry (which also features an expanation of the Fegatello by Mr. Bill Wall)

I'm a vegetarian. As such, I've never indulged in liver, fried or otherwise. In fact, I never play the Italian games as White. While I always open my games with 1.e4, if my adversary responds with 1...e5, I can't prevent myself from moving 2.f4.

But,as Black, it's another situation altogether. I always respond to 1.e4 with 1...e5. If my opponent insists on the Italian game, after 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4

The Two Knights Defense is nothing special. If anything, it's rather mediocre. Of the 2523 C55 games at chessgames.com, Black won only 30.0% of the time. White won 40.3% and 29.7% of the games were drawn. And that's exactly why I play it. Black has to struggle the whole game just to maintain equality. It's the type of game, as Black, where you either fight or die. I like to bait White into playing the most aggressive lines and then finding appropriate defenses and hopefully counter-attacks.

But I don't care to go into the Fried Liver, although I have on occassion. It might just be my aversion to meat the makes me want to avoid the Pigaltello (according to Mr. Wall, "Fegatello is Italian for fried pig's liver").

As the final position shows, White has sacked a Knight for a pawn and in return, Black's King is sitting uncomfortably in the middle of the board. The game will go to the most tactically-minded player.

Here are several games showing the meat-eating possibilities...

13 year old Paul Morphy plays his father, giving him Rook odds of course.

Gioachino Greco beats yet another NN

Von der Lasa beats Karl Mayet with some fried liver

Reuben Fine playing the Fegatello in a 4 board blindfold simul