Réti Opening: Réti Accepted
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Statistics from Lichess
1,418,454 games: White 56.6% / Draw 4.6% / Black 38.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 571,128571K | ||
| 220,095220K | ||
| 201,957202K | ||
| 170,504171K | ||
| 127,614128K | ||
| 104,801105K | ||
| 6,9306,930 | ||
| 5,3075,307 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.28 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. e3 Be6 4. Ng5 Bd7 5. Bxc4 e6 6. f4 Nf6 7. Nc3 Be7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 44% under 1400, 43% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 369K | |
| 1400–1799 | 877K | |
| 1800–2199 | 816K | |
| 2200 and up | 93K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,066 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Harikrishna, P.
- Kramnik, V. – Karjakin, S.
- Gelfand, B. – Karjakin, S.
- Duda, J. – Mamedyarov, S.
- So, W. – Le Quang Liem
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: Réti Accepted (ECO A09, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Réti Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4 (2 moves).
In 1,418,454 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.6%, Black 38.8% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. e3, in 40% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Réti Opening: Réti Gambit, Keres Variation.
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: Réti Accepted
The most played answer, 3. e3, also scores best for White: 60.9%, with White winning 58.7% and Black 36.8% of 571K games. Of the main answers, 3. Qa4+ scores lowest: 56.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. e3.
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: Réti Accepted peaked in 2018 at 0.065% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.054% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.063% | 22,527 |
| 2017 | 0.062% | 34,390 |
| 2018 | 0.065% | 51,060 |
| 2019 | 0.063% | 78,060 |
| 2020 | 0.055% | 161,420 |
| 2021 | 0.052% | 202,901 |
| 2022 | 0.053% | 199,386 |
| 2023 | 0.053% | 200,787 |
| 2024 | 0.054% | 191,959 |
| 2025 | 0.054% | 188,448 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.055% | 60,385 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Réti Opening: Réti Accepted (A09)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/reti-opening-reti-accepted