Welcome to an aggressive but sound gambit system against the Dutch Defense! Who would not want to play a system against an opening that is theoretically sound, promises good attacking chances and avoids learning reams of theory about the Leningrad Dutch, the Stonewall or the Classical Dutch, opening set-ups our opponent knows everything about? This book explores such a system for White with a complete repertoire based on the Staunton Gambit. A repertoire for White, with attention for various alternatives White may choose from along the way, and an in-depth analysis of all of Black's responses.

The Staunton Gambit bears the name of Howard Staunton, an English chess master who lived from April 1810 to June 22, 1874. Staunton is widely regarded as the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851, due in large part to his victory in 1843 against Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant. He was the main organizer of the first international chess tournament in 1851, which made England the leading international chess center and which recognized Adolf Anderssen as the strongest player in the world.

Modern commentators believe that Staunton's understanding of positional play was far ahead of his contemporaries. While not basically an attacking player, he did attack once he was done with his preparations. The English Opening and the Staunton Gambit are named after his advocacy of them. In addition, he is known for the fact that he lent his name to a chess set of clearly distinguishable pieces with a standardized shape that is still the style used for competitions today.