Staunton Gambit
The Staunton Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
White sacrifices a pawn for quick, with the idea of launching an attack against Black's, which has been somewhat weakened by 1...f5. Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defence, but accepting the pawn with 2...fxe4 is considered stronger.
Black can avoid the Staunton Gambit by playing 1...e6 before f5. The drawback of this move order is that it allows White to transpose to the French Defence on move 2, in which case playing the Dutch is no longer an option.
The ECO codes for Staunton Gambit are A82 and A83. Although the Staunton Gambit was once a feared weapon for White, it is rarely played today, since defensive techniques have been developed to neutralise it, and White scores only about 50 percent.
Staunton Gambit Accepted: 2...fxe4
After 2...fxe4, play usually proceeds 3.Nc3 Nf6.Main line: 4.Bg5
The main line runs 4.Bg5, first played by Howard Staunton against Bernhard Horwitz in London, 1846.After 4.Bg5, a common trap is 4...d5 5.Bxf6 exf6 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxd5 Qxd5 8.Nxd5 when White has regained his pawn, and since his knight is attacking the pawns on both c7 and f6, will come out a pawn ahead. Instead, Black usually tries to develop quickly and fortify his kingside, giving back the pawn if necessary, with 4...Nc6 5.d5 Ne5 6.Qd4 Nf7, while 6.Qe2 is a modern alternative.