(1) Botvinnik,M - Belavenets,S [D49]
Leningrad, 1934

Reti's Opening

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6
Prefering a transposition to a queen's pawn opening

3.d4
Now a Slav Defense

3...Nf6 4.e3
Solid but passive, blocking in the Bc1

4...e6 5.Bd3
The good bishop to the strong, natural square

5...Nbd7
Anticipating Nc3 and e3-e4, with the idea of exchanges on e4 and then Nd7-f6

6.Nc3 dxc4
The Merin Variation, taking the Bd3 off its nice perch but ceding the center to white.

7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3
Black's manoeuver has gained some time, but there's no good way to prevent e3-e4

8...a6 9.e4
The threat is now e4-e5

9...c5
Counter-attacking the center

10.e5 cxd4
The threat of exf6 permits the knight to become a marauder

11.Nxb5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 axb5 13.0-0
Rellstab's Attack, a Botvinnik favorite in the 1930s. [13.Qf3!? Ra5 (13...Qa5+ 14.Ke2 Bd6 15.Qc6+ Ke7 16.Bd2 b4 17.Qxd6+ Kxd6 18.Nc4+ Kd7 19.Nxa5 Rxa5 20.Rhc1 Ba6 21.Bxa6 Rxa6 22.Rc4 Nd5 23.Rxd4 Rb8 24.Kd3 h5 25.Kc4 b3 26.a4 Rc6+ 27.Kd3 Rc2 28.Rb1 Rbc8 29.a5 R8c6 30.Ke2 Rd6 31.Ke1 Nc7 32.Rxd6+ Kxd6 33.Bc3 f6 34.Ra1 Na6 35.Ra3 Kc7 36.Rxb3 Nc5 37.Rb5 Na4 38.Bd4 e5 39.Kd1 Rc4 40.Be3 Kc6 41.Rb8 Kc7 1-0 Reshevsky,S-Botvinnik,M/Moscow 1955/EXT 99 (41)) 14.0-0 b4 15.Bf4 Be7 16.Rfc1 0-0 17.Qh3 Rc5 18.Rxc5 Bxc5 19.Bg5 h6 20.Ng4 Be7 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Nxh6+ Kg7 23.Qg4+ Kh8 24.Qh5 Kg7 25.Nxf7 Rh8 26.Qg6+ Capablanca-Levenfish, 1-0, 1935]

13...Qd5 14.Qe2
Holding the Ne5

14...Ra5!? 15.f4
Securing the Ne5 in the face of b5-b4, and holding back on the development of the Bc1, probably now to d2

15...Bd6 16.Bd2 b4 17.a3
Another pawn sac, but opening the board for white's active pieces

17...Bxe5 18.fxe5 Qxe5 19.Qf3
Dangerous. Black cannot 0-0 owing to Bxb4, and white has the dangerous c6 entry square for the queen.

19...Qd5 20.Qg3 Ra7
Diagram

21.Rxf6 gxf6 22.Qg7 Rf8 23.Bxb4
crunch! the threat is Qxf8

23...Re7 24.Rc1 Bb7 25.Rc5
trapping the queen! 1-0