Réti Opening
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| Moves | 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | A04-A09 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Réti-Rubinstein, Carlsbad, 1923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Richard Réti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Flank opening | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | Réti System, Réti-Zukertort Opening | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Réti Opening is a hypermodern chess opening characterized by the opening move 1.Nf3 to prevent 1...e5, with the intention of following up, against the "classically recommended" response 1...d5, with 2.c4, coupled with a kingside fianchetto to create pressure on the light squares in the center. One idea behind the opening is to either bring the d5 pawn under attack from the flanks, or entice it to advance to d4 and undermine it later. Because the single opening move 1.Nf3 is rife with transpositional possibilities, it is incorrect to infer that any chess game opening 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 Declined. The Réti should not be thought of as a single opening sequence, and certainly not a single opening move, but as an opening complex with many variations sharing common themes. It is named after Richard Réti, an untitled Grandmaster from Czechoslovakia who most famously used it to defeat José Raúl Capablanca, the reigning World Chess Champion, in a game in the 1924 New York tournament. The Réti Opening was introduced into master play in the early part of 1923, according to Réti.[1] In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) Réti Opening is classified A04-A09. 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 had earlier named this opening "The Opening of the Future."
According to ChessBase, out of the twenty possible opening moves, 1. Nf3 ranks third in popularity. It develops the knight to a good square and prepares for quick castling and prevents Black's occupation of 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. Two slight drawbacks to the move are that it blocks the f-pawn, and forgoes the option of playing Nge2, ruling out the possibility, for example, of playing the Sämisch system against the King's Indian.
Transpositions
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1. Nf3 will often transpose into a 1.d4 opening such as the King's Indian or the Queen's Gambit. If White follows up with an early c4 a transposition to the English Opening may be reached. Perhaps the most common move recently is the symmetrical 1...Nf6, after which transpositions to other openings abound. Even the Sicilian Defence may be reached if the game continues 1. … c5 2. e4.
Main lines
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When the game does not transpose to some other opening, the main lines to Réti Opening are
- 1 … Nf6 (ECO code A05)
- 1 … d5 (A06)
- 2. g3 (King's Indian Attack, A07) (modern method)
- 2. c4 (A09) (classic method)
- 1 … other (A04)
Traditionally, 1. Nf3 d5 (A06) has been the signature calling card of the Réti. The most common reply for White is 2. c4 (A09), known as the traditional or classic method. 2. g3 (A07) has become increasing popular in recent years and is referred to as the modern method, with White aiming for an early fianchetto of the kingside bishop, although this often transposes into a King's Indian Attack.
Classic method
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |              | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Starting from the position of A09, the replies for Black are:
- 2. … dxc4 - capture the pawn
- 2. … e6 - hold the point
- 2. … c6 - hold the point
- 2. … d4 - push the pawn
At some point White will play g3 and Bg2 to fianchetto the bishop prior to castling kingside. This is in the spirit of the hypermodernism movement that Réti championed, with the center being dominated from the wings rather than being occupied. White is also willing to sacrifice material for tempo and position, although the pawn is usually considered poison in modern grandmaster play because 3. Qa4+ immediately regains it, and also gives white undisputed dominance over the center after 4. Qxc4. Black's exchange also leaves his forces undeveloped while White has a Queen and a Knight exerting influence into enemy territory.
History
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. Richard Réti popularized these moves against all defenses in the spirit of hypermodernism. As the opening developed, it gained structure and a clearer distinction between it and other openings. In modern times the Réti refers only to the configuration Nf3 and c4 by White with ...d5 by Black, where White fianchettos at least one bishop, and White does not play an early d4, which would transpose to the Catalan Opening or Neo-Grünfeld Defence.[2] Savielly Tartakower said of 1. Nf3 "An opening of the past, which became, towards 1923, the opening of the future." He called the opening the "Réti-Zukertort Opening".[3]
See also
References
- ^ Schiller, Eric (1988). How to Play the Réti. Coraopolis, Pennsylvania: Chess Enterprises, Inc. ISBN 978-0-931462-78-8.
- ^ Modern Chess Openings, 15th edition, by Nick de Firmian, ISBN 978-0-8129-3682-7, p. 718
- ^ Tartakower, Savielly; du Mont, Julius (1975), 500 Master Games of Chess (1952), Dover Publications, p. 636, ISBN 0-486-23208-5
Further reading
- Dunnington, Angus (1998). Easy Guide to the Reti Opening. Cadogan. ISBN 9781857445183.
- Davies, Nigel (2004). The Dynamic Reti. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781857443523.