Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 4. Bg2 Bf5
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Statistics from Lichess
241,281 games: White 50.1% / Draw 7.8% / Black 42.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 118,501119K | ||
| 58,77359K | ||
| 35,25235K | ||
| 14,12414K | ||
| 6,2646,264 | ||
| 3,0663,066 | ||
| 2,8562,856 | ||
| 462462 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Qb3 Qb6 6. d3 e6 7. Be3 Qxb3 8. axb3 a6 9. Bd2 Nbd7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,834 | |
| 1400–1799 | 15K | |
| 1800–2199 | 126K | |
| 2200 and up | 104K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,376 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Niemann, H. M.
- Radjabov, T. – Kamsky, G.
- Giri, A. – Aronian, L.
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: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 (ECO A11, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3, reached after 1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bf5 (4 moves).
In 241,281 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 42.1% and 7.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 49% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4…Bf5
5. cxd5 scores best for White: 57.5%, with White winning 53.3% and Black 38.3% of 59K games. The most played, 5. O-O, scores 52.6% in 119K games, and 5. b3 scores lowest: 51.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Qb3.
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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0073%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0073% | 2,617 |
| 2017 | 0.0094% | 5,183 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,546 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 12,645 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 28,944 |
| 2021 | 0.0082% | 32,090 |
| 2022 | 0.0082% | 30,776 |
| 2023 | 0.0086% | 32,214 |
| 2024 | 0.0097% | 34,857 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 37,000 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 12,151 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 (A11)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/reti-opening-anglo-slav-variation-with-g3-2