Outflank Your Opponent With The Reti Opening

The Reti Opening was pioneered by the Czechoslovakian chess master Richard Réti, who was most active as a player in the 1920’s. Besides his auspicious career at the playing board, Réti was also an innovator. He was the author of the 1923 title Modern Ideas in Chess. Which, even over 100 years after its publication, is still considered one of the finest chess books ever written.

Réti was a member of the so-called “hypermodern” school of chess. Along with other players like Aron Nimzowitsch and Savielly Tartakower, the hypermoderns had an idea which was radical at the time: that the center of the chess board did not necessarily need to be occupied in order to be controlled. Instead, the hypermoderns contended that control over the center could be effectively exerted through pawns and pieces on the flanks.

The opening which bears Réti’s name is certainly in the spirit of the hypermodern school. It begins with: 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4. By developing the knight to f3 and pawn to c4, while avoiding playing either e4 or d4, White invites Black to play d5. Black has a central pawn developed. However both the White e-pawn and d-pawn remain on their starting squares for the time being. 

The starting position of the Reti Opening.

The White c-pawn challenges Black’s central d-pawn. At first glance, it seems that Black can simply capture the undefended White pawn for free with dxc4. This is indeed possible, but it will be difficult for Black to hold the extra material. White can play e3 or e4 and Bxc4 at some point - regaining the pawn and, having distracted Black’s d-pawn away, White establishes a central majority pawn structure. For this reason dxc4 is not often played.

Why Play The Reti Opening?

Your opening repertoire should naturally flow from the type of chess player you are, and the sort of games you enjoy playing. 

If you enjoy attacking chess, then you may want to check out our article on the King’s Pawn Opening. Games beginning with 1. e4 tend to lead to sharp, dynamic games from the outset. However, these games are also more theoretically-testing - necessitating more opening study. In the King’s Pawn Opening, the player who knows more opening theory than their opponent often ends up with a large practical advantage.

If you have better things to do than memorize deep theoretical opening lines, then the Reti Opening could be for you. Throughout the opening phase of the Reti, there are many moves that both players can play. These are fine, and which are not much better or much worse than the alternatives. Unlike in, say, a Sicilian Najdorf where one false move by either player can lead to a huge swing in the evaluation.

As a matter of fact, the Reti Opening allows White to avoid the Sicilian Defense altogether. Wwhich for many players is reason enough to give the Reti Opening serious consideration!

Reti Opening games tend to favor positional play and maneuvering. Getting your pieces to better squares while preparing (and preventing) pawn breaks are the name of the game. Direct attacks against the king are rare.

So, if you prefer to keep your own king safe and outplay your opponent slowly, then the Reti Opening is a great choice.

Main Ideas In This Flexible Flank Opening

One general idea for White in the Reti Opening is to try and get a favorable version of some other opening. This can be done through subtle differences in move order, and finding ways to transpose the game in their favor. 

Depending on Black’s play White may try and steer the game towards a Symmetrical King’s Pawn opening with the e4 pawn break, or an English Opening with play on the queenside. d4 is another move White can often play at some moment, if Black doesn’t prevent it by playing d4 themselves.

That said, the most common setup for White to go for in most lines is a kingside fianchetto - with g3 and Bg2. From the g2 square, the light-squared bishop naturally points towards the queenside, adding pressure to Black’s d5 pawn.

It is very common for White to fianchetto and castle kingside in the Reti.

A Word About 1. …Nf6

If you are going to begin the game with 1. Nf3, it must be noted that Black is not obliged to play 1. … d5 and enter into the Reti Opening.

Another popular choice Black can play is 1. …Nf6, going for a flank opening of their own - such as the King’s Indian Defense. If you are going to play 1. Nf3 with White, you must expect this and be prepared for it too.

We have written about the King’s Indian Defense before, which has a reputation of being highly theoretical. Is this one instance in the Reti where White is going to be forced to spend hours in opening preparation?

Actually, no! The Reti setup of a kingside fianchetto with g3 and Bg2 is one of the least theoretically-demanding ways of meeting the King’s Indian Defense.

A typical “Reti” position against the King’s Indian Defense.

Black may still go for their typical f5 pawn break. But a kingside attack is going to be more difficult to pull off against White’s fianchetto setup. The King’s Indian Defense player will instead be drawn into a long, drawn-out positional struggle, which few of them will enjoy. 

Think about it - the player who has the King’s Indian Defense in their repertoire does so because they like to attack and be aggressive. By denying them this sort of game, the player with the White pieces has already won a psychological victory!

Getting Started With The Reti Opening

Before investing too much time into learning the Reti Opening, give it a try in your online games. Playing with blitz time controls means there is not much at stake, and you can get lots of games in very quickly. Pretty soon, you will gain a feel for the opening, what Black tries to do in response to it, and the types of games it leads to.

If, after this initial experimentation, you still want to know more, you might consider investing in a book dedicated to the Reti Opening. For advanced chess players, we recommend The Modernized Reti by Adrien Demuth, available from the USCF store. It is the most comprehensive book on the market today. Intermediate chess players, who do not need this level of detail may instead want to get one of the recommendations on this list.

If you prefer learning by video, then this free course on the Reti Opening from GM Simon Williams and IM Richard Palliser is worth checking out. In just over 90 minutes, you can gain a basic understanding of the Reti Opening and the main ideas. And, if you like what you see, the same authors can take you into even greater depth with their paid online course.

Summary: Is The Reti Opening Right For You?

The Reti Opening is an excellent choice to consider adding to your White opening repertoire if you:

• Like to think from the very beginning of the game, rather than recite memorized opening knowledge. The options for both players are quite wide throughout the initial phase of the Reti Opening, meaning you (and your opponent) will need to spend less time on opening study, and more time thinking for yourself while you are at the board.
• Enjoy the challenge of finding opportunities to transpose the game into a setup you prefer - and which may get your opponent into unfamiliar territory.
• Prefer a positional game. A game which starts with the Reti Opening tends to be all about the accumulation of small advantages. In most cases, neither player’s king will be in danger in the early and middle part of the game. Without needing to worry about a mating attack, you can let your positional understanding shine through.

Does that sound like you? If so, then give the Reti Opening a try today!