The Reti is a flexible hypermodern opening: 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4. White does not occupy the centre with pawns but attacks the d5 pawn from the flank and prepares the g2 fianchetto. The main branches are gathered here: the ...d4 advance, the ...c6 system, the transposition to the Queen's Gambit and the Reti Accepted. At each branching point, choose which line to play.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
The thin arrow on the board shows the next move.
You can also play the move on the board: pick the piece up and put it on the square.
The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The Reti is named after Richard Reti, one of the founders of hypermodernism. After 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 White is in no hurry to occupy the centre with pawns; instead he attacks the d5 pawn from the flank and fianchettoes the bishop on g2, aiming it down the long diagonal.
The main idea is flexibility and piece control of the centre. White keeps the opponent guessing about the pawn structure and transposes easily into all sorts of formations: the Catalan, the English, the Queen's Gambit, or independent flank play.
The opening made its name in 1924, when Reti used it to beat the reigning world champion Jose Raul Capablanca and end his years-long unbeaten run.
The most critical route is 2...d4: Black pushes the pawn and seizes space while White plays around it with a fianchetto and pawn breaks. The solid 2...c6 supports the d5 pawn in Slav style, and 2...e6 usually leads to Queen's Gambit or Catalan structures.
You can accept the gambit too - 2...dxc4: holding the pawn is hard for Black, and White wins it back with e3 and Bxc4, getting a pleasant position with a fianchetto and a lead in development.
The Reti declines to seize the centre with pawns straight away. After 1.Nf3 White develops first, puts the bishop on g2 and only then decides which structure to build. The point is flexibility: the opponent shows his hand first and White adapts.
The classical scheme: Nf3, c4, g3, Bg2, 0-0, b3 and Bb2. Both bishops rake the long diagonals while the c4 and b3 pawns press on d5 from the side. If Black puts a pawn on d5, you do not attack it head-on with d4 but undermine it with pieces and the c4 break.
The opening's practical advantage is that it barely depends on the opponent's replies and transposes easily into the English or into Queen's Gambit positions a tempo up. The drawback is that as White you have to understand plans rather than remember lines: there is little forcing theory here.
The most direct answer is to take the centre, since White has not: 1...d5 and then ...c6 or ...e6 with a solid pawn pair. If White takes with cxd5, Black recaptures ...cxd5 and gets a comfortable structure with space in the centre.
The second route is symmetry: 1...Nf6 and ...g6 with a fianchetto. The position stays closed and the game becomes a manoeuvring one. The third is 1...d5 2.c4 d4!?, answering flank play by seizing space.
General advice: do not let White press down the a8-h1 diagonal for free. If the g2 bishop runs into your pawn on c6 or e6, White's plan loses its bite and the position equalises by itself.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
White does not occupy the centre with pawns but presses on it from a distance: the g2 bishop eyes d5 while the c4 pawn undermines it from the side. The classical hypermodern scheme.
The most critical reply: Black takes the centre with pawns. White attacks the wedge from the flanks with b4 and e3, and the game turns sharp.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
Black takes the pawn and tries to hold it with ...b5. That usually fails: White plays a4 and opens the queenside, where Black's pieces are not yet developed.
A mistake for White: setting the pieces up by rote and failing to notice that Black has built a solid pawn centre. In the Reti it is the opponent's set-up that determines your plan, not the other way round.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
The key point is that White does not occupy the centre with pawns first but develops a knight (1.Nf3) and attacks the centre from the flank (2.c4, the g2 fianchetto). It is the hypermodern approach: piece control of the centre and a flexible move order instead of an immediate pawn grab.
Because in 1924 Richard Reti used this very opening to beat the world champion Capablanca and end his years-long unbeaten run. That game became a symbol of hypermodern ideas triumphing over the classical school.
It is flexible and often transposes into other structures (the Catalan, the English, the Queen's Gambit), so realising its potential takes an understanding of many position types. On the other hand the basic set-up (Nf3, c4, g3, Bg2, 0-0) is simple to learn and works against almost anything.
To lovers of flexible positional chess and anyone who does not want to learn forcing lines. The opening gives White a reliable universal system that grows with your understanding and adapts easily to the opponent.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
Судейские навыки не понадобятся. Приложение берёт на себя ту часть, из-за которой турниры обычно и не проводят: кто с кем играет в каждом туре и кто в итоге первый.
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