Nice Win in the Moscow Variation

When I committed to playing the Bb5+ line in the Sicilian, I struggled at first when deciding what to play against 3...Nd7!? I eventually settled on 4. a4, which prepares a4-a5, cramping black's queenside a bit. Theory is mostly undeveloped in this line, but there have been some games at the master and GM level. After just a few moves, both players are basically on their own.

I recently played a blitz game (3min 0s) in exactly this variation (on my anonymous account) against a 2380-rated opponent. I was proud of the attack I generated and wanted to share it.

Play is fairly normal early on. Black breaks out of the cramp on the queenside with ...b5, and then has to decide whether to capture on b6 with the knight or queen. My opponent plays ...Nxb6, and I was able to implement a plan that Nepo had used in this exact position (Nepomniachtchi-Pichot, 2021). White can initiate kingside activity with the crafty maneuver Qd1-Qd2-Qg5!

My opponent doesn't react well, and I then execute the maneuver Ra1-Ra3-Rf3 and crown the kingside attack with nice mating sequence.

Victories like these demonstrate that white doesn't need to venture into the Open Sicilian for an unbalanced and exciting game, especially in speed chess. It's also a reminder to study high-level games in the variations one plays, especially creative players (like Nepo!) who are always looking for fresh ways to create problems for their opponents.

I hope you enjoyed! Questions and comments welcome.