Réti Opening: Advance Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,303,839 games: White 52.9% / Draw 4.3% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 486,825487K | ||
| 379,254379K | ||
| 206,459206K | ||
| 164,107164K | ||
| 25,68826K | ||
| 18,39518K | ||
| 11,71912K | ||
| 3,2423,242 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.03 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. b4 c5 4. e3 dxe3 5. fxe3 cxb4 6. d4 Nf6 7. Bd3 Bg4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 100K | |
| 1400–1799 | 455K | |
| 1800–2199 | 798K | |
| 2200 and up | 206K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,096 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Anand, V.
- Caruana, F. – Topalov, V.
- Anand, V. – Kramnik, V.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Réti Opening: Advance Variation (ECO A09, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Réti Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 (2 moves).
In 1,303,839 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.9%, Black 42.7% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. e3, in 37% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Réti Opening: Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit and Réti Opening: Advance Variation, Michel Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Réti Opening: Advance Variation
The most played answer, 3. e3, also scores best for White: 56.0%, with White winning 53.9% and Black 41.9% of 487K games. Of the main answers, 3. d3 scores lowest: 53.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. b4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Réti Opening: Advance Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.064% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.055% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.053% | 18,932 |
| 2017 | 0.057% | 31,102 |
| 2018 | 0.064% | 50,239 |
| 2019 | 0.058% | 72,502 |
| 2020 | 0.047% | 137,623 |
| 2021 | 0.043% | 169,981 |
| 2022 | 0.047% | 175,979 |
| 2023 | 0.049% | 184,132 |
| 2024 | 0.051% | 183,774 |
| 2025 | 0.055% | 190,681 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.057% | 62,599 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (4)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Réti Opening: Advance Variation (A09)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/reti-opening-advance-variation