Réti Opening
Encyclopedia
The Réti Opening is a hypermodern
chess opening
whose traditional or classic method begins with the moves:
White plans to bring the d5-pawn under attack from the flank, or entice it to advance to d4 and undermine it later. White will couple this plan with a kingside fianchetto
(g3 and Bg2) to create pressure on the light squares in the center.
The opening is named after Richard Réti
(1889–1929), an untitled Grandmaster from Czechoslovakia
. The opening is in the spirit of the hypermodernism
movement that Réti championed, with the center being dominated from the wings rather than by direct occupation.
1.Nf3 develops the knight
to a good square, prepares for quick castling
, and prevents Black from occupying the center by 1...e5. White maintains flexibility by not committing to a particular central pawn structure
, while waiting to see what Black will do. But the Réti should not be thought of as a single opening sequence, and certainly not a single opening move, but rather as an opening complex with many variations sharing common themes.
In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
(ECO), Réti Opening is classified as codes A04–A09.
According to Réti the opening was introduced into master play in the early part of 1923. Réti used the opening most famously to defeat José Raúl Capablanca
, the reigning World Chess Champion
, in a game at the 1924 New York tournament
. Alexander Alekhine
played the Réti in the 1920s, but at that time almost any game that began with Nf3 and c4 by White was considered to be the Réti. Réti popularized these moves against all defenses in the spirit of hypermodernism
, and as the opening developed it gained structure and a clearer distinction between it and other openings.
Hans Kmoch
called the system of attack employed by Réti in the game Réti–Rubinstein, Carlsbad 1923, "the Réti Opening" or "the Réti System". Savielly Tartakower
called the opening the "Réti–Zukertort Opening", and said of 1. Nf3: "An opening of the past, which became, towards 1923, the opening of the future."
s at least one bishop does not play an early d4.
After 2. c4 (ECO code A09), Black's replies are:
If Black takes the pawn, then in the same manner as the QGA
, 3.e3 or 3.e4 regain the pawn with a slight advantage to White—Black being left somewhat undeveloped. 3.Na3 and 3.Qa4+ are also good, and commonly played. This variety of White options limits the popularity of 2...dxc4.
, out of the twenty possible opening moves, 1.Nf3 ranks third in popularity. 1.Nf3 is rife with transpositional
possibilities, so it is incorrect to infer that any game starting with that move is an example of the Réti Opening. For example:
Perhaps the most common reply recently is the symmetrical 1...Nf6, after which transpositions to other openings abound.
Hypermodernism (chess)
Hypermodernism is a school of chess that emerged after World War I. It featured challenges on the chess ideologies presented by central European masters, such as on Wilhelm Steinitz’ approach to the centre. It also challenged in particular the dogmatic rules set down by Siegbert Tarrasch...
chess opening
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
whose traditional or classic method begins with the moves:
- 1. Nf3 d5
- 2. c4
White plans to bring the d5-pawn under attack from the flank, or entice it to advance to d4 and undermine it later. White will couple this plan with a kingside fianchetto
Fianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
(g3 and Bg2) to create pressure on the light squares in the center.
The opening is named after Richard Réti
Richard Réti
Réti composed one of the most famous chess studies, shown in this diagram. It was published in Ostrauer Morgenzeitung 4 December 1921. It seems impossible for the white king to catch the advanced black pawn, while the white pawn can be easily stopped by the black king...
(1889–1929), an untitled Grandmaster from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. The opening is in the spirit of the hypermodernism
Hypermodernism (chess)
Hypermodernism is a school of chess that emerged after World War I. It featured challenges on the chess ideologies presented by central European masters, such as on Wilhelm Steinitz’ approach to the centre. It also challenged in particular the dogmatic rules set down by Siegbert Tarrasch...
movement that Réti championed, with the center being dominated from the wings rather than by direct occupation.
1.Nf3 develops the knight
Knight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
to a good square, prepares for quick castling
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
, and prevents Black from occupying the center by 1...e5. White maintains flexibility by not committing to a particular central pawn structure
Pawn structure
In chess, the pawn structure is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. Since pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus largely determines the strategic nature of the position.-General observations:Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such...
, while waiting to see what Black will do. But the Réti should not be thought of as a single opening sequence, and certainly not a single opening move, but rather as an opening complex with many variations sharing common themes.
In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
(ECO), Réti Opening is classified as codes A04–A09.
History
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
, the reigning World Chess Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
, in a game at the 1924 New York tournament
New York 1924 chess tournament
New York 1924 was an elite chess tournament held in the Alamac Hotel in New York City from March 6 to April 18, 1924. It was organized by the Manhattan Chess Club. The competitors included world champion José Raúl Capablanca and his predecessor Emanuel Lasker. Nine other top players from Europe...
. Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
played the Réti in the 1920s, but at that time almost any game that began with Nf3 and c4 by White was considered to be the Réti. Réti popularized these moves against all defenses in the spirit of hypermodernism
Hypermodernism (chess)
Hypermodernism is a school of chess that emerged after World War I. It featured challenges on the chess ideologies presented by central European masters, such as on Wilhelm Steinitz’ approach to the centre. It also challenged in particular the dogmatic rules set down by Siegbert Tarrasch...
, and as the opening developed it gained structure and a clearer distinction between it and other openings.
Hans Kmoch
Hans Kmoch
Johann "Hans" Joseph Kmoch was an Austrian-Dutch-American chess International Master , International Arbiter , and a chess journalist and author, for which he is best known....
called the system of attack employed by Réti in the game Réti–Rubinstein, Carlsbad 1923, "the Réti Opening" or "the Réti System". Savielly Tartakower
Savielly Tartakower
Ksawery Tartakower was a leading Polish and French chess Grandmaster. He was also a leading chess journalist of the 1920s and 30s...
called the opening the "Réti–Zukertort Opening", and said of 1. Nf3: "An opening of the past, which became, towards 1923, the opening of the future."
Classic method (2. c4)
In modern times the Réti refers only to the configuration Nf3 and c4 by White with ...d5 by Black, where White fianchettoFianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
s at least one bishop does not play an early d4.
After 2. c4 (ECO code A09), Black's replies are:
- 2... e6 or 2... c6 (holding the d5-point)
- 2... dxc4 (giving up the d5-point)
- 2... d4 (pushing the pawn)
If Black takes the pawn, then in the same manner as the QGA
Queen's Gambit Accepted
The Queen's Gambit Accepted is a chess opening characterised by the moves:The Queen's Gambit is not considered a true gambit, in contradistinction to the King's Gambit, because the pawn is either regained, or can only be held unprofitably by Black...
, 3.e3 or 3.e4 regain the pawn with a slight advantage to White—Black being left somewhat undeveloped. 3.Na3 and 3.Qa4+ are also good, and commonly played. This variety of White options limits the popularity of 2...dxc4.
Transpositions after 1. Nf3
According to ChessBaseChessBase
ChessBase GmbH is a German company that markets chess software, maintains a chess news site, and operates a server for online chess. Set up in 1998, it maintains and sells massive databases, containing most historic games, that permit analysis that had not been possible prior to computing...
, out of the twenty possible opening moves, 1.Nf3 ranks third in popularity. 1.Nf3 is rife with transpositional
Transposition (chess)
A transposition in chess is a sequence of moves that results in a position which may also be reached by another, more common sequence of moves. Transpositions are particularly common in opening, where a given position may be reached by different sequences of moves...
possibilities, so it is incorrect to infer that any game starting with that move is an example of the Réti Opening. For example:
- 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 is the Queen's Gambit DeclinedQueen's Gambit DeclinedThe Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined...
. - An early d4 by White can also transpose to the Catalan OpeningCatalan OpeningThe Catalan is a chess opening which can be considered to be White adopting a mixture of the Queen's Gambit and Réti Opening: White plays d4 and c4 and fianchettoes the white bishop on g2. A common opening sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2, though the opening can arise from a large number...
or Neo-Grünfeld Defence. Or to a Queen's Pawn opening or 1.d4 opening such as the King's Indian (where White has forgone the option of playing Nge2, ruling out the possibility, for example, of playing the Sämisch systemKing's Indian Defence, Sämisch VariationThe Sämisch Variation of the King's Indian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:A player who had trouble against the Sämisch was Bobby Fischer...
against the King's IndianKing's Indian DefenceThe King's Indian Defence is a common chess opening. It arises after the moves:Black intends to follow up with 3...Bg7 and 4...d6.The Grünfeld Defence arises when Black plays 3...d5 instead, and is considered a separate opening...
). - 2. g3 (A07) has become increasing popular in recent years and is referred to as the modern method, with White aiming for an early fianchettoFianchettoIn chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
of the kingside bishopBishop (chess)A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
, although this often transposes into a King's Indian AttackKing's Indian AttackThe King's Indian Attack , also known as the Barcza System , is a chess opening system for White, most notably used by Bobby Fischer. Its typical formation is shown in the diagram to the right....
(A08). - An early c4 by White may also bring about the English OpeningEnglish OpeningIn chess, the English Opening is the opening where White begins:A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular and, according to various databases, anywhere from one of the two most successful to the fourth most successful of White's twenty possible first moves. White begins the fight for the...
. - Even the Sicilian DefenceSicilian DefenceThe Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
may be reached if the game continues 1...c5 2. e4.
Perhaps the most common reply recently is the symmetrical 1...Nf6, after which transpositions to other openings abound.
See also
- Flank openingFlank openingA flank opening is a chess opening played by White and typified by play on one or both flanks ....
- HypermodernismHypermodernism (chess)Hypermodernism is a school of chess that emerged after World War I. It featured challenges on the chess ideologies presented by central European masters, such as on Wilhelm Steinitz’ approach to the centre. It also challenged in particular the dogmatic rules set down by Siegbert Tarrasch...
- List of chess openings
- List of chess openings named after people
- Zukertort Opening