Capping the d-file and the e7-bishop. If Black captures the rook, White gets a protected passed pawn and a lethal bishop on the main diagonal!

23...Bxd6?! 24.Ng5! g6 25.exd6 with a decisive advantage! Look at that bishop on b2!

White is the one now winning an exchange! Life is a rollercoaster!

Fantastic positional sacrifice by Nepo. Black will take on d4, getting a very important central pawn. Once d4 is off the board, the c5 square is available for the dark-squared bishop and the bishop pair is extremely dangerous for white. Black has another rook to use the g-file and has total domination of the dark squares.

Bishop pair and two pawns for the rook. Black is not even down material anymore!

White resigned.

A classical example of space advantage from the great Capablanca. The black minor pieces are completely useless. Same story for the rooks. Black is only waiting for the end. Moreover, the pawns are fixed on light squares, which favors a possible bishop sacrifice to open the position at some point.

The most technical move! Now Black will play two rooks down and the game will be decided on the queenside.

1.axb5 gxh5 and the black rooks dream about having a life. Anyway the position is a complete disaster for Black.

White brings all the pieces to the a-file and looks for a penetration along a7. Later a sacrifice on b7 or playing Ba6 will come to finish the business. Important to note that Black cannot protect the b7-pawn with a bishop on c8 because a rook would come to a8 and the queen would be trapped.

These positions are very typical of the Italian and Spanish openings, so it is always a good idea to have an idea of how to play them. How can Black fight for the space in the center?