"This elegant little game deserves to be better known.

Played in a tournament where Botvinnik was at the top of his form, its merits have been overshadowed by a half dozen other masterpieces that he produced in the course of the competition.

The clever way in which Botvinnik gains control of the center is by itself a delight, two amusing queen moves being reminiscent of a similar subtle strategy employed by Nimzowitsch in his famous encounter with Johner at Dresden in 1926.

1) -2.12 (45 ply) 14...Bc7 15.Nbxd4 Nxe5 16.Rxe5 Bxe5 17.Nxe5+ fxe5 18.Nf3 Qf6 19.Qe2 e4 20.Ng5+ Kg8 21.c4 d4 22.Nxe4 Qf5 23.Bd2 Bc6 24.Re1 e5 25.Ng5 Re8 26.b4 a6 27.a4 Bxa4 28.b5 axb5 29.cxb5 Bb3 30.Qf3 Qxf3 31.Nxf3 Rh5 32.Nxd4 Bd5 33.f4 Kf7 34.fxe5 Rhxe5 35.Rxe5 Rxe5 36.Kf2 Be6 37.b6 Rc5 38.Kf3 Rc4 39.Ke4 Ra4 40.Ke5 Bg4 41.Be3

<the queen move just didn't look natural or correct> In the game, after a couple of indifferent moves by White, Black is able to play ...g5 with threats on the h-file and achieve a queen trade into a better endgame, which is probably why your books praise the move.

To avoid this, White should have started active play in the center similar to the line your engine found. But we have to consider the possible exchange sac, for example 15. Nbxd4 Bxd4 16. Nxd4 Nxe5 <17. Rxe5> fxe5 18. Nf3, which is unclear.

The same thing could happen in your engine line, because the 15. a4 a6 don't seem to change the situation in the center much. 15. a4 a6 16. Nbxd4 <Bxd4> (instead of your engine's ...Nxd4) 17. Nxd4 Nxe5. White still has the exchange sac with 18. Rxe5 and it's still unclear.

Of course, an engine can see farther than us and maybe it gives stronger than unclear eval to the exchange sac or finds some other resource for White here, and maybe throwing in 15. a4 a6 first makes it stronger somehow.