The French Defense is an old opening. Its name is derived from a correspondence match played between the cities of London and Paris in 1834. Nowadays it is the second most played defense against 1. e4 only behind the Sicilian.

The Poisoned Pawn Variation is an ultra-sharp opening. It is reached by the mainline:

1. e4 e6

2. 2. d4 d5

3. 3. Nc3 Bb4

4. 4. e5 c5

5. 5. a3 Bxc3+

6. 6. bxc3 Ne7

7. 7. Qg4 Qc7

8. 8. Qxg7 Rg8

9. 9. Qxh7 cxd4

10. 10. Ne2 Nbc6