Réti Opening

Reversed King's Indian vs ...g6

Black adopts a King's Indian setup with ...Nf6 and ...g6. White establishes a classical Réti blockade, preparing a queenside storm with Rb1 and b4.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.O-O d6 6.Nc3 e5 7.d3 Nc6 8.Rb1 a5 9.a3 h6 10.b4 axb4 11.axb4 Be6 12.b5 Ne7

Move by move

  1. 1.Nf3 – The classical Réti opening 1.Nf3: develops the knight toward the center, controls d4 and e5, and keeps all central pawn options open.
  2. 1...Nf6 – Black adopts the flexible Indian setup with 1...Nf6: avoids fixing the central pawns and prepares a kingside fianchetto.
  3. 2.c4 – The standard Réti thrust 2.c4: establishes queenside pressure and stakes out space on the flank without committing central pawns.
  4. 2...g6 – Preparing the King's Indian setup with 2...g6: clears the path for the dark-squared bishop to take up a powerful post on g7.
  5. 3.g3 – White mirrors Black with 3.g3: prepares the king's bishop for g2 to contest the long diagonal against Black's fianchetto.
  6. 3...Bg7 – Black completes the fianchetto with 3...Bg7: dominates the long diagonal and prepares to castle kingside safely without delay.
  7. 4.Bg2 – The bishop arrives actively on 4.Bg2: commands the h1-a8 diagonal, setting up a sharp duel between the two fianchettoed bishops.
  8. 4...O-O – Black castles kingside with 4...O-O: secures the king in safety and prepares to contest the center with either ...d6 or ...d5.
  9. 5.O-O – White castles kingside with 5.O-O: places the king in absolute safety and connects the rooks for upcoming strategic operations.
  10. 5...d6 – Solidifying the center with 5...d6: Black prepares the thematic ...e5 advance to establish a firm King's Indian pawn presence.
  11. 6.Nc3 – Developing the queen's knight with 6.Nc3: adds vital control over the central squares d5 and e4, supporting queenside play.
  12. 6...e5 – Central advance with 6...e5: Black stakes their claim in the center, creating a classic King's Indian Defense structure.
  13. 7.d3 – Solid central restraint with 7.d3: controls e4 and c4, preventing Black from pushing deeper while preparing queenside pawn storms.
  14. 7...Nc6 – Natural development with 7...Nc6: Black increases pressure on d4 and e5 while completing minor piece development in the center.
  15. 8.Rb1 – The hallmark rook move 8.Rb1: unpins the b-pawn and prepares an aggressive queenside pawn storm with the pushes a3 and b4.
  16. 8...a5 – Prophylactic reaction with 8...a5: Black seeks to slow down White's b4-push and fights for valuable queenside territory.
  17. 9.a3 – White persists with 9.a3: prepares the decisive b2-b4 pawn expansion on the queenside, firmly supported by the active b1-rook.
  18. 9...h6 – Black plays 9...h6: prevents annoying piece intrusions on g5 while preparing to coordinate their kingside defensive forces.
  19. 10.b4 – The thematic queenside thrust 10.b4! White breaks open the queenside flank to seize space and create potent attacking avenues.
  20. 10...axb4 – Black exchanges pawns with 10...axb4: seeks to open the a-file for the rook before White's queenside initiative rolls forward.
  21. 11.axb4 – White recaptures with 11.axb4: opens the a-file and establishes a dominant queenside pawn presence ready to push further.
  22. 11...Be6 – Black develops the bishop with 11...Be6: completes minor piece development and connects the rooks smoothly along the back rank.
  23. 12.b5 – The decisive push 12.b5! White drives the c6-knight from its central outpost, shattering Black's queenside coordination.
  24. 12...Ne7 – The knight retreats with 12...Ne7: cedes central space and gives White undisputed queenside supremacy and attacking momentum.

How to exploit the position

White neutralizes Black's Kingside fianchetto by launching a queenside pawn storm

Master tips

Queenside pawn storm

White's plan with Rb1 and b4 creates unstoppable queenside pressure against the King's Indian

Model games