Iron shaperns iron

Who has a positional advantage? What are my imbalances? What am I missing, am I doing good so far?

I am using my mobile phone browser for this post and I don't see the buttons so I may upload a pic of the game I'm playing on the app.

You can not ask advice for an on going game.

What does that have to do with Iron sharpening Iron?

I haven't shaperned anything in a long time.

Two 2-irons make a 4-iron.

No Cheating or Computer Help

• You can NEVER use chess programs (Chessmaster, Fritz, etc) to analyze current ongoing games unless specifically permitted (such as a computer tournament, etc). The only type of computer assistance allowed is games databases for opening lines in Turn-based Chess and Vote Chess. You cannot receive ANY outside assistance on Live Chess games.

I wasn't trying to cheat we are in a 3 day game, I heard the best way to play is long games so you have time to think about your best move, he's not petty and we are both just trying to improve so I sought the advice of council among chess peers putting my ego aside I am humbling my thought process for a better one. Not to win, but to think better.

But the buttons to upload a pic is not available on my mobile browser for some odd reason.... I have watched a couple BYP (I know I know his reputable ELO is horrible but now a days his videos are just regurgitations of J Silman books and it motivated me to adjust my thought process) So as a wise king seeks the council of wise men, I'm seeking to sharpen my iron among you fellow chess players.

Regardless of how noble your intentions might be, and regardless of the time control, it is still cheating to consult outside sources during a game.

To get the kind of guidence you say you are seeking you should join vote chess games. You already belong to my Reti group. If you join the vote chess games you won't get one-on-one tutoring but you will be able to submit your ideas and get feedback and see how others go about the move selection process.

And you'll learn how to play the Reti.

I freaking love the Reti. I started out with thus and I've bumped my head a couple times, but now that I have a better understanding of positional play it's allowed me to kick butt

Having looked at several of your games with White, I feel it's only fair to inform you that what you are playing is NOT the Reti Opening. When you play an early d4, it's not a Reti anymore, but has transposed to a Queen's Gambit or a Catalan or some other d4 opening. In more than half of Reti games d4 is not played at any time during the game.

In general there's nothing wrong with playing d4 as a stratigic or tactical element, but not in the Reti Opening. It is the whole philosophy of the Reti to NOT occupy the center with pawns (the d and e pawns) but rather to control the center from the flanks with pieces, usually a double fianchetto along with the Nf3. The c-pawn is a flank pawn and is the only pawn to reach the 4th rank during set up.

In the Reti, the d-pawn is usually played to d3 in the latter stages of development and often the game ends with the e-pawn still on e2.

I know, I know; ECO calls 1.Nf3 a Reti but it really depends on what you play next, just like 1.e4 does not define a Ruy Lopez.

Many sources call 1.Nf3 a "Zukertort" because he would open with 1.Nf3 but he would transpose to the popular openings of his era as you are doing. He did not devise a deep system following 1.Nf3 as Richard Reti did.

Don't feel bad, you're not alone. In the whole of chess I have not encountered any other opening which is more misunderstood than the Reti.

Have a look here for examples of Reti games:

https://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/reti-dunn-contents

Click on this to read Richard Reti's explanation:

https://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/richard-retis-explanation

Thank you for the wisdom bro, on the contrary (I will look at those links by the way) if you google Reti Theory there are 3 different points if views, some think Nf3 is the Reti, which it was the early ref. to it, but the Reti has evolved since, with more descriptions, or scenarios. The point of with holding D4 is to play it ->eventually. Withhold d4 and flank with bishops or d4 and flank wih knights, flanking is the core behind the Reti as the theory evolves. His strategy should start with nf3 but to tire out from the flank and eventually charge with d4 was the main objective. Late d4 was an end game Strat, not ti be a backwards pawn.

If you look at the games, you will see that Richard Reti never played his opening with the idea of inserting d4 eventually.

That is a much more recent idea and is the point made in McDonald's 2010 "Starting Out" book on the Reti; which, by the way, has been severely criticized for it's many omissions. If a beginner wants to learn the Reti they should avoid McDonald's book. But the idea of waiting for the right moment to play d4 is a sound one. It usually occurs after an exchange has weakened Black's central pawn structure.

There is also "Kramnik's Repertoire" which is a strategy of playing the Reti when there are a series of 'jumping off' points when it is possible to transpose to a variation of another opening favorable to White. The secret to transposing is that you must know and understand the opening(s) you are transposing to.

And there is Delchev's "Modern Reti" which is a repertoire he developed for Stefanova to play in a specific series of tournaments, mostly involving e3 and bringing the LSB to the Q-side. It is not an improvement but rather explores lines previously unexplored.

While these strategies are interesting and useful, none of them supersede the standard Reti Opening.

Reti vs Rubinstein
http://www.chessbites.com/Games.aspx?d=kkAoCCr
Reti vs Pokorny
http://www.chessbites.com/Games.aspx?d=kkApCZC
Reti vs Gruber
http://www.chessbites.com/Games.aspx?d=kkZQoAQ
Reti vs Capablanca
http://www.chessbites.com/Games.aspx?d=kkrZrop
Reti vs Yates
http://www.chessbites.com/Games.aspx?d=kkrZQro

Thanks for the information on Reti, I'm reading modern ideas and my perception is while it was the norm to attack the central area with pawns. So I like flanking reti with ruy Lopez but can get a mean flank with d4.