The reaction of cyclopentadiene with various bidentate dienophiles in the presence of 4-10 mol% of copper(II)-bis(oxazoline) complexes afforded excellent endo/exo selectivity as well as endo enantioselectivity (95-99% ee) and isolated yields. On the other hand, Diels-Alder reaction with Mg(II)-complexes afforded a modest (61% ee) reversal in enantioselectivity. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd