Staunton Gambit

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Staunton Gambit
Solid white.svg a b c d e f g h Solid white.svg
8  black rook  black knight  black bishop  black queen  black king  black bishop  black knight  black rook 8
7  black pawn  black pawn  black pawn  black pawn  black pawn  black king  black pawn  black pawn 7
6  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king 6
5  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black pawn  black king  black king 5
4  black king  black king  black king  white pawn  white pawn  black king  black king  black king 4
3  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king  black king 3
2  white pawn  white pawn  white pawn  black king  black king  white pawn  white pawn  white pawn 2
1  white rook  white knight  white bishop  white queen  white king  white bishop  white knight  white rook 1
Solid white.svg a b c d e f g h Solid white.svg
Moves 1.d4 f5 2.e4
ECO A82–A83
Named after Howard Staunton
Parent Dutch Defence
Chessgames.com opening explorer

The Staunton Gambit is a chess opening characterized by the moves:

1. d4 f5 (the Dutch Defence)
2. e4!?

White sacrifices a pawn for quick development, hoping to launch an attack against Black's kingside, which has been somewhat weakened by 1...f5.

Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defence; or 2...e6, transposing to the Kingston Defence. But accepting the pawn with 2...fxe4 is considered stronger than transposing to either of those offbeat defenses.

Although the Staunton Gambit was once a feared weapon for White, it is rarely played today, since theory has shown how to neutralize it, and White scores only about 50 percent.

The ECO codes for Staunton Gambit are A82 and A83.

Contents


[edit] Gambit Accepted

After 2...fxe4, play usually proceeds 3.Nc3 Nf6.

[edit] Main line (4.Bg5)

The main line runs 4.Bg5, first played by Howard Staunton against Bernhard Horwitz in London, 1846. [1]

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 (White can regain the pawn with 5.Bxf6 exf6 6.Nxe4, but Black has the bishop pair and a solid position) 5...Ne5 6.Qd4 Nf7, while 6.Qe2 is a modern alternative.

[edit] 4.f3

White can also try 4.f3 in the style of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, whereupon White gets good compensation after 4...exf3. So Black generally plays 4...d5! 5.fxe4 dxe4. Black can also try 4...e3, returning the pawn in order to hinder White's development.

[edit] 4.g4?!

4.g4?! (the Bayonet Attack) fails to provide enough compensation after 4...h6!

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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