The idea behind the opening is that white sacrifices a Pawn for quick development in the hopes of launching an attack against back's King. Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defense, but accepting the pawn with 2...fxe4 is considered stronger.
The database of my games has 10 games in which the Staunton Gambit was played. I was white in 4 of them and scored three wins and a draw; playing black, I scored 3 wins, a loss and a draw. Thus, in the ten Staunton Gambits that I was involved in white scored +4 -3 =2.
That's not the statistical results of the games in the 8-million game database, but then these games were played by average players, so maybe the Staunton Gambit is worth a try if you are an average player! It also suggests that you should not expect a lot of draws.
In 1908 Frank Marshal and Rudolf Spielmann met three times in tournaments: Prague (Marshall won), Vienna (Spielmann won) and at Dusseldorf where Marshall handed Spielmann a quick defeat using the Staunon Gambit.
[Event "16th DSB Congress, Dusseldorf"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1908.10.08"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Frank Marshall"]
[Black "Rudolf Spielmann"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 15"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2022.07.21"]
{Dutch Defense: Staunton Gambit} 1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 (3. f3 {This is a
rarely played, and risky, sideline.} d5 4. fxe4 dxe4 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Bg5 Nc6 7.
d5 Bg4 8. Ne2 Na5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Nbc3 Bxb5 11. Nxb5 c6 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. Nec3
{After this white's position deteriorates.} a6 14. Na3 b5 15. Bxf6 exf6 16. Nd5
Bxa3 17. bxa3 Qa5+ 18. Kf2 O-O 19. Rf1 Rad8 20. Qh5 Qd2+ {0-1 Anon-Tartajubow,
Correspondence 2009}) 3... Nf6 4. Bg5 c6 (4... g6 {Seldom played but it turns
out to be the favorite of no less a player than Stockfish! My opponent was
years ahead of his time.} 5. f3 exf3 6. Nxf3 d5 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3
c6 {White should have started operations on the K-side with 9.h4} 10. O-O-O Bg7
11. Rde1 Nbd7 12. Rhf1 O-O {The position is equal, but white eventually won in
Tartajubow-Anon, 1967}) 5. f3 exf3 6. Nxf3 e6 (6... d5 7. Bd3 g6 8. Ne5 Qb6 9.
Qe2 Qxb2 {Bad...very bad. He should have played 9...Bg7} 10. O-O Qxc3 11. Bxf6
{and white soon won. Lalic,B (2590) -Kovacevic,V (2520) Slavonski Brod 1995})
7. Bd3 {[%mdl 1024]} Be7 {At this time this position was known from Lasker,
E-Pillsbury,H Paris 1900. Lasker won with 9.Ne5, but Marshall's move is
equally good. Stockfish already gives white a winning advantage! Where did
black go wrong?!} 8. O-O {White has a decisive advantage.} (8. Ne5 O-O 9. Bxf6
Rxf6 10. Qh5 g6 11. Nxg6 Qe8 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. O-O-O {White has a decisive
advantage, but it took Lasker 80 moves to demonstrate it. Lasker, E-Pillsbury,
H Paris 1900}) (8. Qe2 {This is less effective.} O-O 9. O-O c5 10. Ne4 {
White is much better, but in Zavadil,M (2138)-Macicek,J (2056) Frydek Mistek
2007, he managed to lose the game. It demonstrates how slippery a slope the
Staunton is for the non-master.}) 8... d6 {No N on e5 for white!} 9. Qe2 Na6
10. a3 {Prevents Nb4 and leaves the N misplaced.} Nc7 11. Rae1 {In his book,
My Fifty Years of Chess, Marshall wrote that he believed Spielmann was simply
"afraid to castle", adding that it was the only good move as he is preparing
Nh4 followed by Bxf6 and Qh5+.} b6 {Sad to say, this is probably as good a
move as any.} (11... O-O {is, however, very little help.} 12. Qf2 Bd7 13. Qh4
Rf7 14. Ne2 g6 15. Bh6 Nh5 16. Ng5 {Black is facing a very dangerous attack.
One possibility...} Rxf1+ 17. Rxf1 e5 18. Rf7 e4 19. Bxe4 Qe8 20. Rxh7 {
with a decisive advantage.}) 12. Nh4 Kd7 {This is the worst possible move, but
he had to make a move.} (12... O-O 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Rxf1+ 15. Rxf1 g6 16.
Nxg6 Bxg5 17. Ne5 Qe7 18. Nf7 {and there is no satisfactory way to meet the
threat of Qxh7+}) (12... Bd7 {is refuted by} 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qh5+ Kf8 {
White has two winning lines: 15.Ne4 (objectively the strongest) and 15.Rxf6+
(the prettiest).} 15. Rxf6+ gxf6 16. Bxh7 Qe7 (16... e5 17. Qh6+ Kf7 18. Ne4
Be6 19. Qg6+ Ke7 20. Qg7+ Bf7 21. Ng6+ Ke6 22. Nf4+ Ke7 (22... exf4 23. Nxf6#)
23. dxe5 fxe5 24. Ng6+ Kd7 25. Nxh8 {and wins}) 17. Ng6+) 13. Nf5 {[%mdl 512]}
Qf8 (13... exf5 14. Bxf5+ Ke8 15. Bxc8 Rxc8 16. Rxf6 gxf6 17. Bxf6 Rf8 18. Bxe7
Qd7 (18... Qxe7 19. Qxe7#) 19. Qh5+ Rf7 20. Bxd6+ Ne6 21. Qe5 Kd8 22. Ne4 Nf8
23. Nf6 Qe6 24. Qxe6 Nxe6 25. Rxe6 {Black can only avoid Re8# by giving up the
exchange.}) 14. Nxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne4 Rf8 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Qf3 {This has a
surprising tactical flaw.} (17. Qf2 {was correct.} Qf7 {Getting away from
white's R} (17... Ne8 18. Rxe6 Qxe6 19. Bf5) 18. Bh6 {was very strong.} Ba6)
17... Ne8 {[%mdl 8192] After this black's hopes of saving the game drop to
zero.} (17... Ba6 {This at least would have allowed black to continue playing.}
18. Bh6 (18. Bxf6 Bxd3 19. Bxe7 Rxf3 20. Rxf3 Bxc2 {white is only slightly
better.}) 18... Rf7 19. c4 Rg8 {White is better, but there is no forced win
and so black can continue to put up a fight.}) 18. Rxe6 {Easy ti see, but nice
anyway. It's hard to believe Spielmann missed this...or perhaps he just
decided to end it, but then why not resign?} Qf7 (18... Qxe6 19. Bf5) 19. Re4 {
[%mdl 32] The h-Pawn is the next target.} Bb7 20. Rh4 Ng7 21. Rxh7 Rh8 22. Qh3+
{Black gave up} (22. Qh3+ Kc7 23. Rxf6 Qe7 24. Rg6 Rxh7 25. Qxh7 {and there is
nothing black can do.}) *
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