The bishop retreat seems pointless, since it can be attacked with b7-b5, but in this case the bishop is sacrificed and White gains the advantage. Black needs to play cautiously.
1. e2e4  1... e7e6  2. d2d4  2... d7d5  3. b1c3  3... g8f6  4. e4e5  4... f6d7  5. f2f4  5... c7c5  6. g1f3  6... b8c6  7. c1e3  7... c5d4  8. f3d4  8... d8b6 This variation of the French Defense is tough to face because if the player with the black pieces knows all the theory, according to the current stage, it's very likely that the game will be drawn after a long forcing sequence. However, the other side of the coin is that any lapse of memory is fatal and a draw is the most that can be achieved against a well-prepared player, in addition to having to defend against any possible new idea. 9. d1d2  9... b6b2  10. a1b1  10... b2a3  11. f1b5  11... c6d4  12. e3d4  12... a7a6  13. b1b3  13... a3e7 