1. e2e4  1... e7e6  2. d2d4  2... d7d5  3. b1c3  3... f8b4  4. g1e2 I have not seen this line in a while. A lovely delight to my eyes. 4... d5e4  5. a2a3  5... b4e7  6. c3e4  6... g8f6  7. d1d3  One of the two best continuations. If I recall correctly, other French GMs like Degraeve and Bauer have used it in the past. The most curious part,  however, is that it is a pet line of Ponkratov, who scores really well as  White! 7... b8c6  8. c1e3  8... e8g8  9. e1c1  9... f6g4 A risky affair. 10. h2h4 Bacrot does not want to spend a tempo on h2-h3. 10... f7f5  11. e4g5  11... h7h6 