A09–A14 Flank openings

Réti Opening

White develops the king knight and invites Black to occupy the center before attacking it.

Best for

Flexible players who prefer transpositions and piece pressure to immediate pawn occupation.

Study map

Start with one line, then add nearby branches.

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01Réti OpeningA09 · 2 movesnew02Réti Opening: Advance VariationA09 · 2 movesnew03Réti Opening: Réti AcceptedA09 · 2 movesnew04Réti Opening: Zilbermints GambitA09 · 2 movesnew05Réti Opening: Penguin VariationA09 · 3 movesnew

Browse all 43 lines

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Anglo-Slav Variation34 lines
Advance Variation3 lines
Main line1 lines
Penguin Variation1 lines
Réti Accepted1 lines
Réti Gambit1 lines
Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit1 lines
Zilbermints Gambit1 lines

Mix the variations

Practice changing book replies after you know at least 2 lines.

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White's plan

  1. 01 Fianchetto the g2 bishop.
  2. 02 Challenge d5 with c4.
  3. 03 Choose d4 or e4 only when it improves the position.

Black's plan

  1. 01 Support the center without overextending.
  2. 02 Develop before pushing more central pawns.
  3. 03 Use ...c5 to keep space balanced.

Position fingerprint

The squares that explain the opening

d5 is the first central target, c4 creates pressure, and g2 controls the long diagonal.

Keep the position healthy

Practical habits

  • Challenge the center before it becomes permanent.
  • Use flexible move order to gain information, not to delay development.