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Sicilian opening question, why not Bb5?

#1

Here is the line, 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5

Stockfish is showing Bg5 and even Bc4 as better moves. If you follow different lines out, you will see it also shows white castling long. Does this have something to do with it? I am a Ruy Lopez player, so Bb5 does not seem to me a bad move. Not much in the databases though with master games. Why don't the masters play this?

Here is the line, 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Stockfish is showing Bg5 and even Bc4 as better moves. If you follow different lines out, you will see it also shows white castling long. Does this have something to do with it? I am a Ruy Lopez player, so Bb5 does not seem to me a bad move. Not much in the databases though with master games. Why don't the masters play this?
#2

whats the point of it? What I'm thinking is after Black goes 6. Bb7 and 7.a6 and b5 then I feel like Black would be rolling.

whats the point of it? What I'm thinking is after Black goes 6. Bb7 and 7.a6 and b5 then I feel like Black would be rolling.
#3

But that is what is played in the Morphy lines of Ruy Lopez which masters do play. Why is a6 and b5 scary in the Sicilian but not RL?

But that is what is played in the Morphy lines of Ruy Lopez which masters do play. Why is a6 and b5 scary in the Sicilian but not RL?
#4

I am a Sicilian player and usually the plan is to create a attack on the queenside so your letting your opponent start with tempo

I am a Sicilian player and usually the plan is to create a attack on the queenside so your letting your opponent start with tempo
#5

How about this game, it is very similar with a different move order. Why do masters choose this line instead?

https://lichess.org/z0P8Ed0S

How about this game, it is very similar with a different move order. Why do masters choose this line instead? https://lichess.org/z0P8Ed0S
#6

6 Bb5 is playable. If you like to play Bb5, you can play it earlier: 3 Bb5+.

6 Bb5 is playable. If you like to play Bb5, you can play it earlier: 3 Bb5+.
#7

Well the way I see it there is nothing incredibly wrong with Bb5. It is just that it is not very ambitious as you do not really want to give up your bishop pair for no reason. The bishop is just better on c4 seeing the long diagonal or Bg5 is a way to wait and see where the white squared bishop might end up to.

The difference with the game you showed in the moscow variation is that black is forced to get the bishop out first which means a trade of light squared bishops. This is more positional but the point is that black's dark squared bishop usually is worse than white's or in the long run you can get a good knight vs bad bishop middle game potentially. Furthermore c4 afterwards enchances all of these points since if black takes then you control the c6 square so black's knight cannot move and also after eventually giving up the bishop you have a lead in development as white even though no bishop pair and you strike immediately to open the center or force black to otherwise lock his bishops behind the pawns. Whereas in your line all these details do not really arise which makes black's life a bit easier. Still perfectly playable with good ideas.

Well the way I see it there is nothing incredibly wrong with Bb5. It is just that it is not very ambitious as you do not really want to give up your bishop pair for no reason. The bishop is just better on c4 seeing the long diagonal or Bg5 is a way to wait and see where the white squared bishop might end up to. The difference with the game you showed in the moscow variation is that black is forced to get the bishop out first which means a trade of light squared bishops. This is more positional but the point is that black's dark squared bishop usually is worse than white's or in the long run you can get a good knight vs bad bishop middle game potentially. Furthermore c4 afterwards enchances all of these points since if black takes then you control the c6 square so black's knight cannot move and also after eventually giving up the bishop you have a lead in development as white even though no bishop pair and you strike immediately to open the center or force black to otherwise lock his bishops behind the pawns. Whereas in your line all these details do not really arise which makes black's life a bit easier. Still perfectly playable with good ideas.
#8

Anything nowadays is playable. Playing Bb5 here gives black equality

Anything nowadays is playable. Playing Bb5 here gives black equality

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