1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Nge2 0-0 9.f3 b5? An ambitious plan. Black is adapting an aggressive approach on the queen side in order to develop some counter play against white's proposed central breakthrough e4. This must be seen as a mistake, since this will leave his c6 pawn weakened. White can too easily put pressure onto that point by deploying a rook onto the half-open c-file. It would have been better to calmly continue 9...Nb6 or 9...Re8 and Nf8 10.a3 a5 continuing to follow the wrong plan: better is a setup with a6, Bb7 and c5 in order to get rid of his weak c6 pawn. 11.0-0 Ba6 12.b3! perhaps the most precise move of this game, mainly played to support the knight on a4 in case of a b4 push by black and also to gain control over the c4 square against any Nd7-b6-c4 activities. 12...b4 13.axb4 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 axb4 15.Rxa8 Qxa8 16.Na4 This is the position white was aiming for with his move 12b3. Black can't free himself yet with the desired c5 as white would take twice on that square and then shatter black's kingside pawn structure by capturing the knight on f6. 16...Rc8 17.e4! The time has come to enforce white's key plan, realizing his central dominance 17...c5 the final mistake before black's position collapses: 17...Kh8 should have been tried; although, after 18e5 Ng8 19Be7 Ne7 20 f4 g6 21 Ng3 white has a strong attack (21...c5 is answered by 22dc5 Nc5 23 Nc5 Rc5 24 Qd4) In any case it looks much better than the text move. 18.e5 c4? 19.Qf5!
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