Réti Opening

Overview

The Réti Opening (1. Nf3 d5 2. c4) is the flagship hypermodern system. Rather than occupying the center with pawns, White attacks it from the flanks with pieces and a kingside fianchetto, often transposing into Catalan, English, or King's Indian Attack structures.

Position after 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4

Key Ideas

• White fianchettoes the king's bishop (g3, Bg2) to pressure d5 and the long light-squared diagonal.
• The opening is highly transpositional, blending into Catalan, English, and King's Indian Attack setups.
• White delays committing central pawns, keeping maximum flexibility against Black's setup.
• Understanding pawn structures matters far more than memorizing forcing lines.

Main Variations

History

Richard Réti stunned the chess world in 1924 by defeating Capablanca — unbeaten for years — with his namesake system, helping launch the hypermodern revolution that reshaped opening theory.