And the following maneuver is super classy. Please think for a while! How can you penetrate Black's position?
The key move. With this sequence, Gelfand blocks the d-file (...Nd6 + ...e5) and at the same time controls the c8-square. Now this prepares the simple Rc2, dominating the file and planning to penetrate along the 7th rank.
With good criteria, Illescas decides to keep the a-file closed, therefore keeping control over the only open file, the c-file.
1...Rxa7 2.Rxc4 b5 3.Rc6! Transformation of positional advantages! Now Black has to decide whether to lose control over the file or to allow White to have a passed pawn.
A mistake, but a human one. Black wants to control c7. It was needed to leave the a7-g1 diagonal open for the queen to dream about a possible counterplay.
White has a clear advantage, thanks to the control of the c-file. Now a possible plan is to penetrate on c6-c7.
Unity Chess Club
Zbynek Hracek Zoltan Almasi Odorheiu 1995 White to move
Take a close look at the pawn structure. What pieces do we want to keep alive on the board?
The knight was threatening to jump to c4 or a4, bothering a lot our pawns on a3 and c3. By eliminating it, White gets a scenario pretty similar to the game Polgar-Anand, where we have a knight that can end up on d5 against a clumsy and passive bishop.