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White played 11.cxd4 <Why not 11.Nxd4?>

It's down to six and two threes and a question of styles.

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Taking with the c-pawn is the active way and Stein never needed encouragement in that respect. He got value for it, chances. It's all I ever wanted as well. Chances. If you lose at least you had a shout and can look yourself in the eye when shaving.

If 11.Nxd4 then Brontstein's Knight goes to e5 and is a big piece instead of a b6 spectator. (Knights on b6 often are. Tarrasch hated them and he too readily accepted an IQP.)

So Stein did not want Bronstein's Knight on e5. (I would not want a Bronstein Knight on e5) and see what eventually happened. The b6 Knight re-entered the game only after White's spec Knight sac and Bronstein's handling of the minor pieces after that kept the Q + R at bay.

Stein decided he had enough of the Knight and chopped it off with his Rook. And where did that happen...on e5. (Stein just did not like or want a Bronstein having a Knight on e5! 😊)

The White Knight sac on move 24 was a good and tempting try, did Stein miss the Rook back to d5 (backward defending moves, an attacker's nightmare.) but that is where the game spun. Perhaps he thought Q & R would at least draw v Q+N+B. Against lesser players it could well have done.

As Ray says in his book, Stein would often make positional concessions for the initiative.

He also, if the a chance arose liked to kick things off early in the middle game. He knocked out quite number of miniatures v strong players who got caught before their seat was warm. Ray closes his book on Stein with 22 of them.