June 30, 2026

[Katherine Wise](https://blog.duolingo.com/author/katherine/)

# Chess openings: What is the Réti Opening?

Looking for a new opening to learn? Discover the Réti Opening!

Learning openings requires understanding chess notation, the system for naming pieces and moves. [Get a refresher on chess notation here](https://blog.duolingo.com/chess-notation/)!

## Réti Opening: 3 quick facts

- The Réti opening is named after chess player [Richard Réti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_R%C3%A9ti?ref=blog.duolingo.com), one of the leading figures of hypermodernism.
- It’s a relatively rare [hypermodern](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#hypermodern) opening for White that often leads to strategic, [positional](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#positional) games, making it a good choice for intermediate or advanced players who want to avoid [1. e4](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#e4) or [1. d4](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#d4) openings with a lot of [theory](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#theory).
- One of the Réti’s greatest strengths is its flexibility. It can [transpose](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#transposition) into a variety of openings, including the [English Opening](https://blog.duolingo.com/english-opening/), d4 openings, and even the [Sicilian Defense](https://blog.duolingo.com/sicilian-defense/).

## Réti Opening: the move

Here is the move for the Réti Opening:

💡

1. Nf3

## One move, many possibilities

If you’re looking for an uncommon White opening to throw your opponents off-guard, give the Réti Opening a spin!

If you’re looking for more openings, check out [our guide featuring over 30 options](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/) for every skill level!