Best Answer To Reti Opening

What's the best answer for black? And when I say best I mean most played between GMs.

...Nf6.

Now, knowing that, you should be able to plot out a forced win no problemo.

But look, considering that the best answer for English is e5, IF

1 Nf3 Nf6

2 c4... I can't play e5 because Nxe5. Am I missing something?

How about responding to 1. Nf3 with Nc6, then, so that you've got e5 ready if c4 comes next. Nc6 is perfectly good, too, and you can play a Chigorin defense if White decides to go for a QG.

No?

It may be true that the Najdorf is the best statistical reply to 1.e4, yet after 2.c3, you can't play it.  Are we all missing something?  Or does white get to mix it up too?

You could always specialize in a response to 1.d4 that features d5, then respond to 1.Nf3 with that instead, in which case it's you that's forcing white onto your theoretical ground, and his English be damned!

Unless he plays the Reti, in which case I recommend you go for the pawn grab.  Not because it's superior, but it seems to depress Reti types for some reason.  Probably because they're deeply in love with fianchettos and such.

"It may be true that the Najdorf is the best statistical reply to 1.e4, yet after 2.c3, you can't play it.  Are we all missing something?  Or does white get to mix it up too?"

You re missing that I'm not talking about e4. I'm talking about 1 Nf3.

"You could always specialize in a response to 1.d4 that features d5, then respond to 1.Nf3 with that instead, in which case it's you that's forcing white onto your theoretical ground, and his English be damned!"

Why I don't believe that is true? Maybe because there is possibility of an akward transposition. The thing is: Which is the move most played between gms in response to 1 Nf3? The question is "most played between GMs".

I'm asking the moves 1 by 1 because I'm finding it hard to download a gm database, even using google etc. Well at least it becomes informative for whoever reads.

There is no "best move" or "best response" to most openings so you're wasting your time trying to find it. In the case of 1.Nf3 (which isn't yet the Reti by the way) - the response of any GM is likely to be partly dictated by their defence to 1.d4.

Of course, you can no longer play the 1.c4 e5 type of positions but by committing the N to f3 on move one, White has also cut out some of his interesting options, so it's really a trade off as far as that goes. 

Ok JamesCloeman, but which move is the most played in GM level?

1...d5, 1...c5, 1...Nf6 are probably the most common. 1...Nf6 is my personal preference, as it basically forces white to declare his intentions first before black commits to any particular setup himself. But all of those moves (and some others) are perfectly fine for black.

If you really want to know that :

1...Nf6

There's 166448 game in Chessbase with that compared to just under 100,000 with 1...d5

Thank you JamesColeman, that was helpful.

And what about 2nd move, after 2. c4?

Sorry for asking each move, I don't have access to a GM database, if anyone could give me a link to download one, I would appreciate.

At some point the answer is going to become "what do you play against 1. d4."

Ok, I'll take 2..e6, sounds good.

1.nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 is the critical test, however moves such as 1..Nf6 trying to transpose to your d4 or c4 defense are a bit more practical than learning lots of theory for something that wont come up all too often.

1.Nf3 is not yet a Reti opening.  I would describe the Reti as a system where Black has a pawn on d5, White plays with a pawn on c4 and maintains the tension in the center without playing d4.

Top GMs such as Kramnik open 1.Nf3 with no intention of playing a Reti structure or even necessarily a fianchetto.  1...d5 is met with 2.d4, and 1...Nf6/1...c5 are met with 2.c4.  In this way White gets to play mainline queen pawn openings but avoids some of Black's high scoring defenses such as the Nimzo Indian, Queen's Indian, and Grunfeld.

1.Nf3 Nc6 is also met with 2.d4 usually, because the reputation of the Tchigorin at top levels is not so good.  But if Black is willing to play the Tchigorin (or 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6), 1...Nc6 is a very good response to 1.Nf3.

this is the best set up (see zurich 1953)

In first move? Dosen't matter.

1.Nf6 1.d5 1.c5 1.e6 1.c6 and so on

1- 1...e5 is the best answer to the English ? Maybe, after all who knows, but GMs are still playing ...c5, ...Nf6, ...f5 and even other weirder stuff, so it must not be the "best answer" by much.

2."Anything that fights for the center and develops pieces" is the best theory advice for your level (<1500 at all time controls).

Iron tiger, with all the respect, go **** yourself.

It doesn't matter my rating, I clearly asked AT GM LEVEL.

If you don't know, don't answer.

I have the right to study and discuss chess in the way I want and it may be informative to anyone else interested.

I'm sick and tired of people telling me what I should do instead of answering my questions.