[Event "?"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Beliavsky, A"]
[Black "Wells, P"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Karpov, An"]

1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 Nf6 { This is the so-called Steiner system, a sister of the Panov Attack. The usual continuation is 3...cxd5. By sacrificing a pawn, black gets compensation in his active piece play. But white declines the sacrifice, preferring to direct the game in a familiar mold. } 4. Nc3 cxd5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. Nf3 Bg4 { By transposition we have arrived at one of the best-known positions of the Panov Attack. The traditional move order is 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.cxd5 Nxd5. } 8. Qb3 { The ancient move 8.Bb5, which goes back to Nimzovich-Alekhine (Bled 1931), has a worthy defense, as shown by Nimzovich himself: 8...Rc8! 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 e6 11.0-0 Be7. } 8... Bxf3 9. gxf3 e6 { Here, black was at a crossroads. He prefers, in this game, the most popular continuation - a forced transition into the endgame. A sharp middlegame, but with a certain risk for black, awaits him after 9...Nb6 10.d5. It is easier for black to defend after 10.Be3 e6 11.0-0-0 Be7 12.d5 exd5 13.Bxb6 Qxb6 14.Qxb6 axb6 15.Nxd5 Rxa2 16.Kb1 Ra5! with an equal endgame. In Anand-Karolyi (Frunze 1987), white chose to keep the bishop: 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Rxd5 Qc7 15.Kb1 0-0 16.f4 Nb4! 17.Rd4 Nc6 18.Rd1 Bf6 19.Bg2, but it seems that black's position is quite defensible.
After 10.d5 Nd4 11.Qd1 e5 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Be3 Bc5, we arrive at the extremely sharp position shown in the analysis The practice of the last several years shows that black can maintain equality. Here are several examples: 1) 14.Bg2 Qh4 15.0-0 Bd6 16.h3 Nf5 17.Qb3 0-0 18.Qxe6+ Kh8 19.Qe4 Qf6 20.Qg4 Qf7 and black has sufficient compensation for the pawn (Malaniuk-Yudasin, USSR Championship, Moscow 1991), or 2) 14.b4 0-0 15.bxc5 Nxf3+ 16.Ke2 Qf6 17.cxb6 (17.Bg2?! Nc4! is in black's favor) 17...Rad8 18.Qc2 Nd4+ 19.Bxd4 Qxd4 20.Ne4 Qxa1 21.Bg2 Qe5 with mutual chances (Hansen,L-Kuijf, Graested 1990). } 10. Qxb7 Nxd4 11. Bb5+ Nxb5 12. Qc6+ Ke7 13. Qxb5 { For a short time, the capture 13.Nxb5 aroused some curiosity. The idea is that 12...a6 13.Nd4 is unpleasant for black due to the threat of 14.Bg5+. But the game Zhuravlev-Stecko (USSR 1971), which continued 13...Rb8! 14.Nd4 Qd7 15.Be3 Rxb2 16.Qc4 f6 17.Rd1 Kf7 18.Nb3 Be7, with advantage to black quickly ended the curiosity. } 13... Qd7 { The natural-looking intermediate exchange 13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 with the goal of compromising white's pawn structure turns out to favor white.
The b-file opens up, and the white rook puts it to good use. Black, meanwhile, experiences difficulty in completing his kingside development.
The game Fischer-Euwe (Leipzig Olympiad 1960) serves as an excellent illustration of white's play in an ending of this type: 14...Qd7 15.Rb1! Rd8?! (more tenacious is 15...Qxb5 16.Rxb5 Kd6, although after 17.Rb7 the rook is boss on the seventh rank) 16.Be3 Qxb5 17.Rxb5 Rd7 18.Ke2 f6 19.Rd1! Rxd1 20.Kxd1 Kd7 21.Rb8 Kc6 22.Bxa7 g5 23.a4, and the extra passed pawn decided the fate of the game.
14...f6 looks stronger, preparing the evacuation of the king: 15.Qb7+ Ke8 16.Rb1 Qc8! is not dangerous, as black plays Kf7 next. If white plays the obvious 15.Ba3+ Kf7 16.Rd1 Qc8 17.Rd7+ Kg8, the king hides from the threats after h7-h5. } 14. Nxd5+ Qxd5 15. Qxd5 { Sometimes white decides to induce the weakening of black's position with the intermediate 15.Bg5+ f6 16.Qxd5 exd5 17.Be3, and yet this does not give white any advantage. By following the main line of development with 17...Ke6! black keeps the game level. For instance, 18.0-0-0 Bb4 19.a3 Rhc8+ 20.Kb1 Bc5 21.Rhe1 Bxe3 22.Rxe3+ Kd6 23.Rde1 Rc4, and the weakness of the h2 pawn is felt (Belikov-Dreev, Moscow 1992). If 18.Ke2, then 18...Bd6 19.Rhc1 Rhb8! 20.Rc2 Be5 is good. } 15... exd5 { After a brief opening shootout, the game has been transformed into an endgame with the isolani on d5. The true evaluation of this position determines how secure the entire plan with 5...Nc6 is, because modern theory considers this position the optimal achievement for white in this variation. The presence of the doubled pawns on the f-file is compensated by the possibility to attack the weak pawns d5 and a7 in black's position.
Obviously, the key freeing maneuver for black is Ke7-e6 with the development of the bishop. But this takes time. The evaluation of this endgame depends upon how white can utilize this time. Jumping ahead a bit, I can say that I was able to make something out of my chances, although often black manages to hold this position. } 16. O-O { The queenside castling plan is considered most critical: 16.Be3 Ke6 17.0-0-0, and now white immediately hits the a7 and d5 pawns. But the open position of the king allows black to make his pieces cooperate well if he defends accurately.
Here are several possibilities: 1) 17...Rc8+ 18.Kb1 Bc5 19.Rhe1 Kd6 20.Bf4+ Kc6 21.Re2 Rhd8; 16.Bf4 Ke6 17.0-0-0 Bb4 18.a3 Rac8+ 19.Kb1 Ba5 20.Rhg1 g6 21.b4 Bb6 22.Rge1+ Kf5, and black protects everything (J.Polgar-De Jong, Wijk aan Zee 1990), or 2) 17...Bb4 (stopping the check from e1) 18.Kb1 (or 18.a3 Rhc8+ 19.Kb1 Bc5) 18...Rhd8 19.Rd3 Rd7 20.Rc1 Rb8 21.Rc6+ Kf5 22.Ra6 (the pin 22.Rb3 is parried tactically: 22...d4! 23.Bd2 Bxd2 24.Rxb8 d3 25.Rc4 Bh6, and the passed pawn ties down white after d3-d2) 22...Rbb7 23.a3 Be7 - black transfers the bishop to f6, from where it controls the blockading square d4. This is an important factor in the defense of positions like this, with the isolated pawn. Black keeps the equal chances (Brunner-Adorjan, Germany 1990). If white tries 16.Bf4, in order to keep the black king from d6, the black king goes to f5 with tempo. For example, 16...Ke6 17.0-0-0 Bb4 18.a3 Rac8+ 19.Kb1 Ba5 20.Rhg1 g6 21.b4 Bb6 22.Rge1+ Kf5, and all is well for black (Brunner-Stering, Luxembourg 1989). } 16... Ke6 17. Re1+ Kf5 18. Rd1 { An important prophylaxis. If black manages to push his isolated pawn to d4, his difficulties will be behind him. For instance, 18.Be3 Be7 19.Rac1 Bf6 20.Rc5 Rhd8 21.b4 Ke6 22.b5 d4 and black's central counterplay compensates for white's flank activity. Black also equalizes after 19.Rad1 Rhd8 20.Rd4 g5! 21.Red1 Ke6 22.Re1 Kf5 23.Red1 Ke6 (Ivanov,A-Seirawan, USA Championship 1992). } 18... Rd8 { It is a good idea to immediately protect the d5 pawn. Later, black plans to use the bishop to support its advance. Less precise is 18...Ke6 19.Rd3 Bc5 20.Bf4 Rhd8, as the white pieces penetrate into black's camp after: 21.Rc1 Bb6 22.Rc6+ Kf5 23.Bc7 and white has the better game. } 19. Be3 Rd7 20. Rac1 Be7 21. Rd4 $1 { With this move, white looks to attack the a7 pawn and simultaneously threatens to discoordinate the black forces by Rd4-f4. The wide open black king in the center allows the white rooks to reach the greatest possible activity. Black should have defended against this last threat with 21...g5! for if 22.Rc6 Rhd8 23.Kf1 Bf6 24.Rb4 Be5! and black is ready to push his central pawn. But black apparently does not yet sense the danger. } 21... Bf6 22. Rf4+ Ke5 { This is awkward for the king and the bishop. But the natural 22...Ke6 is answered by the simple 23.b3, and now 23...d4 is impossible due to 24.Re4+ Kd5 25.Bxd4 Bxd4 26.Rxd4+ Kxd4 27.Rd1+. Black also has no time to support the d5 pawn with 23...Rhd8 because of 24.Re1 Kd6 25.Ra4 Ra8 26.Bf4+ as now black's king is in danger. } 23. Ra4 d4 { Here, this move also makes white's life simpler, as 23...Rb8 24.b3 Rbb7 or even 23...Kf5 would have been more stubborn. } 24. Ra5+ { If 24.Rc5+, black holds with 24...Ke6. After the text, 24...Rd5 is unplayable because of 25.Bd4+! } 24... Ke6 25. Bf4 Rb7 { 26.Rc6+ was threatened. On 25...Bd8 26.Re5+ Kf6 27.Rc6+ wins. } 26. b3 Rd8 27. Kf1 d3 { This is a very natural reaction to white's last move, as the king aims for the blockading d3 square. But perhaps, 27...h6 was a better defense, with g7-g5 to follow. In the game, the white rook utilizes the newly opened 4th rank, to undertake a bypass maneuver. The enemy, exhausted from the rook threats, agrees to exchange a pair of rooks, and this decreases the potential of the d3 pawn. } 28. Re1+ Kd7 29. Re4 $1 Be7 { Black should have stoically continued with 29...Kc6. } 30. Rd5+ Ke8 { Here also, 30...Kc6 was more active, keeping in store the defensive resource 31.Rxd8 Bxd8 32.Rd4 Rd7. Now, after the rook trade, a curious rook and bishop dance ensues, and it ends in the fall of the a7 pawn. } 31. Rxd8+ Kxd8 32. Ke1 Bb4+ 33. Bd2 Bc5 34. Be3 Bb4+ 35. Kd1 Bc3 36. Rc4 Be5 37. f4 Bf6 38. Ra4 Bc3 39. Bxa7 Rb4 { The bishop ending is easily winning. Black should have kept his rook alive with 39...Rb5, aiming at the white kingside pawns. } 40. Rxb4 Bxb4 41. Bd4 $1 g6 42. h3 Kd7 43. Bb2 Kc6 44. a3 Bc5 45. f3 Bd6 46. f5 Bf4 47. a4 gxf5 48. Bd4 Kd5 49. Bf2 Kc6 50. b4 Kd5 51. a5 1-0