Learn the Réti Opening
Flank opening (1.Nf3) · A04–A09
Your goal: play the Réti Opening from memory as White — keep every move right for two weeks and it's mastered.
Choose a line — start with the main line
Watch the moves · play them from memory · spar: play the opening out against the computer.
You'll play White — watch each move, I'll explain.
Intro
1. Nf31… d52. c42… e63. g33… Nf64. Bg24… Be75. O-O5… O-O
What you're training
Open 1.Nf3, add c4 and a g3/Bg2 fianchetto, castle, and pressure Black's d5 centre from the flank — often transposing into the English, Catalan, or Queen's Gambit.
Strengths
- Hypermodern idea: don't grab the centre with pawns, attack it from afar with c4 and the g2-bishop on the long diagonal.
- 1.Nf3 is supremely flexible — it controls e5, avoids early targets, and keeps every transposition open.
- c4 levers Black's d5 pawn just like the Queen's Gambit, but with the king's bishop already heading to g2.
- Because it transposes so readily into the English, Catalan and Queen's Gambit, learning plans matters far more than memorizing one fixed line.
Watch out for
- Don't let the opening become aimless: the c4 lever and pressure on d5 are what give the Réti its bite.
- Trading or burying the g2-bishop without compensation surrenders your main source of pressure.
- Be alert to transpositions — drifting into a Catalan or Queen's Gambit unaware can leave you without a plan.