How to Play the Reti Opening With 2. b3

A typical Reti setup when 2. b3 is employed.

The Reti opening is in the hypermodern school of chess, meaning that it utilizes pieces, instead of pawns, to control the center. When played with 2. b3, this opening will employ a bishop on the b2 square and a pawn on e3, supporting the black diagonal. This is an extremely sharp opening where not a lot of theory has to be known in order to have fun with it, although it is usually practiced by stronger players.

Instructions

1. Play knight to the f3 square. This is the first move of any Reti opening, and is a great move because it controls many center squares.

2. Play 2. b3. Placing a pawn on the b3 square allows white to prepare placing the bishop on b2. One cool thing about this opening is that you can play 2. b3 no matter what black's reply is!

3. Play bishop to b2, slicing along the black diagonal of the chess board. This bishop is an extremely powerful piece, and under normal circumstances should only be traded off for black's own black bishop.

4. Play pawn to e3. This strengthens white's hold on the d4 square, and supports the black diagonal. Black will have to find another way to break through in the center.

Tips & Warnings

• Pawn to c4 (as in the diagram) is a common theme in the Reti, attacking black's center and creating open files.