A new axially chiral ligand, 1,1'-(2,2'-bisacylamino)binaphthalene, was found to be effective in the ytterbium-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and crotonyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one. The Diels-Alder reaction using 15 mol % of 1,1'(2,2'-bisbenzoylamino)binaphthalene . Yb(OTf)(3). 2i-Pr2NEt afforded the adduct with high enantioselectivity (97 % yield, endo/exo = 91/9, > 98 % ee for the endo adduct). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ail rights reserved.