Opening Builder – Réti for White: Fundamental Structures after 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3
The Third Step of a Long-Term Project
The Opening Builder – Réti for White: Fundamental Structures after 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 is the third part of our six-month Réti project. It continues the work started in the first course on the structures after 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 and the second course on the structures after 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3.
This part addresses what happens when Black goes for the most principled response with the bishop on g7 — the Grünfeld Defence and the King's Indian Defence. These are two of the most popular and challenging black setups at every level, and they share a common feature: Black accepts a slightly cramped position in exchange for dynamic counterplay built on the long diagonal.
The material is based on the camp of the same name and is now transformed into a complete digital product. It includes full video recordings of all lectures, a structured PGN file that follows the logic of the training sessions, and additional model games and theoretical examples for further study.
The principle remains the same as in the previous courses: build understanding first, then add concrete preparation.
What This Course Teaches
The course covers the entire setup after:
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3
From here, Black has two principal ways to develop:
- The Grünfeld Defence with ...d5
- The King's Indian Defence with ...Bg7 and ...d6
For each of these, the course offers a complete repertoire built around a small number of central ideas, not long memorized variations. The goal is to reach positions where the plans are clear, the pawn structures are familiar, and the practical task is to outplay an opponent who is less prepared in the resulting structures.
Lecture 1 – The Anti-Grünfeld with 5.h4
The first lecture introduces our weapon against the Grünfeld Defence:
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.h4
This is a fresh and ambitious alternative to the heavily analysed mainlines. The idea is to force a queen exchange after 5...Bg7 6.e4 Nxc3 7.dxc3 Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1, reaching an endgame where White has a small but durable structural advantage: the pair of bishops, more space, and a long-term plan based on queenside expansion combined with the kingside threats from the h-pawn advance.
The lecture is built around the key pawn structures and Black's main responses:
- Setups with the advance to h6 – where the pawn on h6 becomes a permanent strategic asset
- Queenside play with 8...b6 – when the b6-pawn becomes a hook for our queenside expansion
- Playing against the problematic dark-squared bishop – the typical handling when Black's g7-bishop is restricted
- The pointless ...Bg4 – why the bishop has no future on this square
- Reacting against ...f7-f5 – with the standard exf5 break
The chapter on each structure presents the model games in a clear logical order: from the simplest practical handling to the deeper engine-approved lines.
Lecture 2 – Setups with ...h5 and ...h6
The second lecture covers Black's main attempts to neutralise our 5.h4 advance:
The lecture covers Black's main responses in turn:
- Setups with ...h5 – kingside play, queenside play, and the typical endgames after the dark-squared bishop exchange
- Setups with ...h5 and ...f7-f6 – refuted by the e5 break and the Bxg6 idea
- Setups with ...h5 and ...Bg4 – where the bishop is even worse than usual because of the f4-f5 break
- Setups with ...h6 – the more solid but still passive approach
- Setups with ...h6 and ...Bg4 – handled with the same plan as Lecture 1
- Early ...Nxc3 – a different move order that transposes back to the same structural patterns
Combined with Lecture 1, these two move orders form a complete repertoire against every Grünfeld setup with ...d5.
Lecture 3 – The King's Indian with ...e5: the Main Structures
The third lecture turns to the King's Indian Defence:
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.d4 Nbd7 7.O-O e5 8.e4
This is the most critical system Black has against our fianchetto setup. After 8.e4, the central tension favours White because we enjoy more space and a wide range of useful moves. At some point Black will have to make a concession with ...exd4, and from that moment our task is to neutralise the counterplay and convert the structural advantage.
The lecture is organised around three fundamental pawn structures that arise after ...exd4 is included:
- Structure 1 – ...c6 with ...exd4: the most important structure of the Fianchetto Variation, where White combines pressure on the d6-pawn with queenside expansion
- Structure 2 – pawn on c7: the kingside-active setup, where Black aims for ...Nc5, ...Bd7 and ...Re8-e5-h5
- Structure 3 – ...c6, ...a6, ...b5: Black's queenside expansion, met with Qc2, Rd1 and the c4-c5 break
For each structure, the lecture provides a deep strategic overview supported by model games — including a careful selection of classical and modern examples featuring Kasparov, Akopian, Fressinet and many others.
Lecture 4 – Modern Setups and Other Black Tries
The final lecture completes the King's Indian section by addressing all of Black's other principal options:
- The Modern Setup with ...b6 – a very interesting and very modern idea where Black fianchettoes both bishops; we examine the correct response that prevents Black's tremendous counterplay
- Setups with ...Nc6 and ...c5 – Structure 4, the Benoni-style positions where Black plays on the queenside with ...a6, ...Rb8, ...b5, and our response is built around the manoeuvre Nc3-e2-c1-d3
- Setups with ...c7-c6 and ...Bf5 or ...Bg4 – a passive but extremely healthy approach recommended by many authors, met with the Bf4 setup from a recent Eljanov–Caruana game
- Setups with 6...c5 – with two main branches: the symmetric structure with cxd4 and the main line 7.O-O Nc6 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Bf4
The chapter on each setup includes complete strategic explanations alongside high-level model games, ensuring that you understand both the typical plans and the concrete preparation needed.
A Structured Learning System
The strength of the course lies in its structure. The PGN file follows exactly the logic of the lectures and is organized chapter by chapter, with each model game placed in the position where it best illustrates the structural idea.
Every chapter opens with a clear introduction explaining what the chapter covers and why each model game has been chosen. The model games themselves carry detailed annotations on the critical decisions. Theoretical reference games at the end of each section provide the concrete sub-variations for deeper study.
The result is a course that can be studied in three ways: by reading the structural introductions for the strategic overview, by playing through the model games for pattern recognition, or by working through the reference games for full theoretical preparation.
Part of a Larger Project
This course is the third step of the six-month Opening Builder project. The first part covered the structures after 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3. The second part covered everything that follows 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3. This part covers everything that follows 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 — completing our preparation against the most principled black setups based on a kingside fianchetto.
The next parts will continue to add layers to the repertoire, building toward a complete system grounded in the same principles: clarity of plans, mastery of pawn structures, and long-term improvement through understanding.
Improvement in chess is not random. It is structured, cumulative, and systematic. Each part of the Opening Builder is designed to add a stable layer to your repertoire and to your general strategic understanding.