English or Reti opening?

Should you play the English(1.c4) or the Reti(1.Nf3)?

matter of taste. 1.c4 commits a center pawn and establishes a pawn structure. 1.Nf3 leaves open an extensive variety of transpositional possibilities.

English

I've played both, and IMHO the real question is, do you prefer to face 1.c4 e5 or 1.Nf3 d5?

As far as I'm concerned, I like 1.c4 but I've scored better with 1.Nf3...

#4, I agree. I usually play 1...,Nf6 against 1.Nf3 and wait for white to pick a pawn structure. that way I actually know which variation we are going into.

c4 e5 theres e3 and if d5 then d4 is the Albin Countergambit and if Nf6 then d4 is the Budapest Gambit which after exd4 exd4 d5 Nc3 leads to a Mikenas-Carls English after dxc4 Bxc4 which would lead to an Old Queens Gambit Declined . If c4 e5 e3 d6 then you're in an English Rat Defence . Nf3 d5 d4 Nf6 Bf4 and its a London System . Anything else is a Queens Pawn style opening .

From that perspective , the real Question would be English Rat Defence , Old Queens Gambit Declined , Mikenas-Carls English , Albin Countergambit and Budapest Gambit v London and other Queens Pawn style openings ?

Nf3 and c4 though , best response IMO is e6 . So really 1.c4 e6 Openings vs 1.Nf3 e6 Openings is the real question .

So real question in my eyes :

Nimzo-Indian Defence , Bogo-Indian Defence , Queens Gambit Declined , Semi-Slav Defence , Kings-Indian Defence : Yugoslav Attack , Steiner French , Three Pawn Attack St George-French , Keres Defence , Bogo-Indian Defence : Grunfeld Variation , Agincourt Defence , Zukertort Queens Pawn , Traditional Queens Gambit Declined , Catalan Opening , Neo-Catalan , Modern Slav and Triangle Slav ...... vs French Defence : Knight Variation , French Defence : Perseus Gambit , Petrovs Defence : Classical , French Attack , Normal French Defence , Two Knights French , Horwitz Defence , Accelerated Semi-Slav Defence , Semi-Slav Defence , Zukertort Queens Pawn , Reti Opening : Kings Indian Attack , Kings Indian Attack : French Variation , French Defence : Kings Indian Attack , Catalan Opening , Sicilian Defence : French Variation , Sicilian Defence : Marshall Counterattack .... ?

Hi!

Reti and English are Flank Openings that require a somewhat different treatment than 1.d4 and 1. e4 (centre openings) because usually it is more important the developing scheme -king´s fianchetto and attacking the centre from the flank - rather the move order.

Both are sound openings and sometimes players may choose to transpose from one to the other. Perhaps the main difference as someone mentioned before is the 1...e5 line against 1.c4. In that case you have to be compfortable playing a Reversed Sicilian (Sicilian -like game with the white pieces). If you would like to avoid this then you should play 1. Nf3.

My experience: I play both openings and normally prefer 1. Nf3 over 1.c4.

Good luck!

I think the Réti is better beacuse he cant play the default e5 and he will play d5 and you can play some really nice trap here.

You cannot really force either one. English players must be willing to play either a Reti or a QP opening. 1.Nf3 players eon't always get a Reti and could wind up playing an English.

After 1.c4 e5 or 1.c4 c5, you have an English. But let's say you face 1.c4 e6. You may have no choice. Sure, you COULD face 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e4 and get into another line of the English. But Black can force you out of it. After 2.Nf3 d5, you are in a Reti if you play 3.g3 or 3.b3, and a Queen's Gambit Declined if 3.d4. Bye-bye English. If 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3, White has nothing better than 3.d4 or 3.cxd5 exd5 4.d4, leading again to the QGD.

After 1.Nf3, you COULD get a Reti with 1...d5 2.c4, but it can also be avoided. Let's say Black plays 1...c5. Your hopes of a Reti are basically gone! 2.e4 is a Sicilian. 2.c4 is a symmetrical English. 2.g3 will lead to either a King's Indian Attack if a later e4 is played and once again a symmetrical English if c4 is played in the future.

So when you ask if you should play the English or Reti, your options are basically BOTH or NEITHER unless you are willing to transpose to a QP opening!