CHESS: The Fried Liver Attack

Playing 5-minute chess on the Internet, I got caught by the so-called Fried Liver Attack described by Wikipedia as follows:

The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named after an Italian idiom meaning "dead as a piece of liver"), is a chess opening. This opening is a variation of the Two Knights Defence in which White sacrifices a knight for an attack on Black's king. The opening begins with the moves: 

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

 

This is the Two Knights Defense where White has chosen the offensive line 4.Ng5, but Black's last move is risky (other Black choices include 5...Na5, 5...b5, and 5...Nd4). White can now get an advantage with 6.d4 (the Lolli Attack). However, The Fried Liver Attack involves a knight sacrifice on f7, defined by the moves: 

6. Nxf7 Kxf7 

The Fried Liver Attack has been known for many centuries, the earliest known example being a game played by Giulio Cesare Polerio before 1606.

Play usually continues 7.Qf3+ Ke6 8.Nc3 (see diagram).

 

Black will play 8...Nb4 or 8...Ne7 and follow up with ...c6, bolstering his pinned knight on d5. If Black plays 8...Nb4, White can force the b4 knight to abandon protection of the d5 knight with 9.a3?! Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.Nxd5, sacrificing a rook, but current analysis suggests that the alternatives 9.Qe4, 9.Bb3 and 9.O-O are stronger. 

White has a strong attack, but it has not been proven yet to be decisive.
Because defence is harder to play than attack in this variation when given short time limits, the Fried Liver is dangerous for Black in over-the-board play, if using a short time control. It is also especially effective against weaker players who may not be able to find the correct defences. 

In these 5-minute online games, I should decide how to respond to 1.e4 before starting or else I'll continue to get caught off-guard by these aggressive openings. Meanwhile, I'll continue to sharpen my chess skills via online play. I'm gathering experience as I go, summed up thus far by a series of bullet points in answer to the question what have I learned from Blitz chess:

What have I learned about Blitz Chess?

• it’s brutal
• it’s all about time … if it runs out, you’re dead
• there’s no time for equivocation … if in doubt, make an innocuous move or repeat a move
• avoid traditional openings, experienced players will have traps ready
• always look at the immediate threat from your opponent’s move and respond to it
• better still, threaten something yourself to which your opponent must respond
• keep playing right to the end, a draw or even a win can be snatched from the jaws of defeat
• don’t play when you’re not mentally sharp or in any way distracted (100% focus is needed).