Staunton Gambit

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In chess, A82 is the ECO code for the Staunton Gambit opening. It is characterized by the moves 1.d4 f5 (the Dutch Defense) 2.e4!? (see diagram). White sacrifices a pawn for quick development, hoping to launch an attack against Black's kingside, which has been somewhat weakened by ...f5.

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

After 2...fxe4, play usually proceeds 3.Nc3 Nf6. Then White can play 4.g4?! (the Bayonet Attack); 4.f3 (offering a second pawn, which Black sometimes declines by 4...e3 to hinder White's development); or 4.Bg5. The latter move, today considered the main line, was first played by Howard Staunton against Bernhard Horwitz in London, 1846.[1] It is A83 in the ECO classification.

After 4.Bg5, a common trap is 4...d5? 5.Bxf6 exf6 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxd5 when White comes out a pawn ahead. Instead, Black usually tries to develop quickly and fortify his king-side, 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) Ne5 6.Qd4 Nf7.

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 only scores about 50%.

[edit] Illustrative games

Goldschmied-Preinhalter, 1916[2] 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bd3 O-O 8.O-O b6 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Bxh7+ Kxh7 12.Qh5+ Kg8 13.Ng6 Re8 14.Qh8+ Kf7 15.Ne5+ Ke7 16.Qxg7+! Bxg7 17.Rf7+ Kd6 18.Nb5+ Kd5 19.c4+ Ke4 20.Re1# 1-0

Here, Reti annihilates the future world champion with a double rook sacrifice:

Réti-Euwe, match, Rotterdam 1920[3] 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 g6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 Bg7 7.Bd3 c5 8.d5 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Nxd5 11.Nxd5!! Qxb1+ 12.Kf2 Qxh1 13.Bxe7 d6 14.Bxd6 Nc6 15.Bb5 Bd7 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Qe2+ Kd8 18.Bc7+ Kc8 19.Qa6# 1-0

Victor Sjöberg-Tarrasch, casual game, Skivarp 1911[4] 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 c5 5.d5 e5 6.dxe6 d5 7.fxe4 d4 8.e5 Nd5 9.Ne4 Bxe6 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Bd3 Bg4 12.O-O Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Bxd1 14.Bb5+ Ke7 15.Bg5+ Ke6 16.Bxd8 Kxe5 17.Ng5 Bh5 18.Rae1+ Ne3 19.Bc7+ Bd6 20.Ba5 Raf8 21.Rxe3+ dxe3 22.Bc3+ Kd5 23.Bxg7 Bxh2+ 24.Kxh2 Rxf1 25.Bxf1 Rg8 26.Nxh7 Rxg7 27.Nf6+ Ke5 28.Nxh5 Rf7 29.Ng3 Kf4 30.Bd3 a6 31.a4 Rc7 32.b3 Rc6 33.Ne2+ Kg4 34.Kg1 Rf6 35.Be4 Rf7 36.Nc3 b6 37.Bf3+ Kf4 38.Nd5+ Ke5 39.Nxe3 1-0

Bronstein-C. H. O’D. Alexander, Hastings 1953[5] 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 g6 6.Bf4 Bg7 7.Qd2 O-O 8.Bh6 d5 9.Bxg7 Kxg7 10.O-O-O Bf5 11.Bd3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Nc6 13.Rde1 Qd6 14.Kb1 a6 15.Re2 Rae8 16.Rhe1 e6 17.Ne5 Nd7 18.Nf3 Rf5 19.Re3 e5 20.dxe5 Ndxe5 21.Nxe5 Rfxe5 22.Rxe5 Rxe5 23.Rxe5 Qxe5 24.Qxd5 Qxh2 25.Qd7+ Kh6 26.a3 Qd6 27.Qc8 Nd8 28.g4 Kg7 29.b3 c6 30.g5 Qe7 31.Qg4 Nf7 32.Ne4 Qxa3 33.Qe6 Qa5 34.Nd6 Nxd6 35.Qf6+ Kg8 36.Qxd6 Qe1+ 37.Ka2 Qe8 38.Qc7 b5 39.Kb1 Qe1+ 40.Kb2 Qe6 41.b4 Qe4 42.Qd8+ Kf7 43.Qf6+ Ke8 44.Qd6 Qd5 45.Qf6 Kd7 46.Qg7+ Kd6 47.Qf6+ Kc7 48.Qg7+ Qd7 49.Qe5+ Qd6 50.Qg7+ Kb6 51.Qc3 Qe7 52.Qd4+ Kb7 53.c3 Qf7 54.Qh8 Kb6 55.Qd4+ Kb7 56.Qh8 Qd7 57.Ka3 Qe7 58.Qf6 Qc7 59.Kb2 a5 60.bxa5 Qxa5 61.Qe6 Qc7 62.Kb3 Qf4 63.Qd7+ Kb6 64.Qd8+ Kc5 65.Qe7+ Kb6 66.Qd8+ Kc5 67.Qe7+ Kd5 68.Qd7+ Qd6 69.Qg4 Qc5 70.Qd7+ Ke5 71.Qxh7 Kf5 72.Qd7+ Kxg5 73.Qd2+ Kf6 74.Qd8+ Kf7 75.Qc7+ Qe7 76.Qf4+ Kg7 77.Qd4+ Qf6 78.Qe4 Kf7 79.Kb2 Qd6 80.Qf3+ Qf6 81.Qe4 g5 82.Qh7+ Ke6 83.Qe4+ Kd6 84.Qd3+ Kc7 85.Qh7+ Kb6 86.Kc2 Qf4 87.Qe7 Qf2+ 88.Kb3 Qd2 89.Qe8 Qd5+ 90.Kb2 Qd6 91.Qe3+ Qc5 92.Qe8 Qf2+ 93.Kb3 Qf6 94.Qd7 Kc5 95.Kc2 Qe5 96.Qd8 Qe4+ 97.Kb2 g4 98.Qd7 Kc4 99.Qd1 Qg2+ 100.Ka1 c5 101.Qc2 Qf1+ 102.Kb2 Kd5 103.Qd2+ Ke4 104.Qg5 Qf5 105.Qh4 Kf3 106.Qh1+ Ke2 107.Qg2+ Ke1+ 108.c4 b4 109.Qg1+ Ke2 110.Qg2+ Ke3+ 111.Kb3 Qd3+ 112.Ka4 Qxc4 113.Qg3+ Kd2 114.Qf2+ Kc3 115.Qe3+ Kb2 116.Qe5+ Qc3 117.Qg5 g3 118.Qg4 g2! 119.Qg5 (If 119.Qxg2, Qc2+ forces the trade of queens.) Qc1 120.Qxc5 Qc2+! (not 120...Qxc5?? stalemate) 0-1