Réti Opening
ECO A09 · 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4
The Réti Opening, 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4, is a hypermodern system named after Richard Réti. White controls the center from a distance and attacks Black's d5 pawn with the c-pawn instead of occupying the center with pawns.
Plans for White
White fianchettoes the king's bishop, often the queen's bishop too, and keeps the central pawns back until the right moment. Pressure on d5 and the long diagonal toward b7 is the main theme.
Plans for Black
Black can hold the center with ...c6 or ...e6, push past with ...d4, or take on c4. Solid development with ...Nf6, ...e6 and ...Be7 or a Slav-like setup with ...c6 and ...Bf5 or ...Bg4 are reliable.
Typical pawn structures
Fianchetto structures with White's pawns on c4, g3 and often b3, against a classical Black center. After ...d4, a reversed Benoni appears.
Who it suits
Flexible players who enjoy positional, maneuvering chess and transpositions.
Common traps
Black's d5 pawn and b7 square are frequent targets: careless development lets the g2 bishop and Qb3 combine against b7.
Variations
- Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation — 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. b3
- Réti Opening: Advance Variation — 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4
- Réti Opening: Réti Accepted — 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4
- Réti Opening: Zilbermints Gambit — 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 b5
- Réti Opening: Penguin Variation — 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. Rg1
- Réti Opening: Réti Gambit, Keres Variation — 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6
- Réti Opening: Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit — 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. e3 c5 4. b4