⚫ Reversi (Othello)
🎲 Board · 0 playsReversi (Othello)
Flank a line of discs to turn them; the count only matters at the end.
About Reversi (Othello)
Reversi, published for decades as Othello, is played by dropping a disc at the far end of an unbroken run of enemy discs, with one of your own already anchoring the other end, at which point the whole run changes colour. Newcomers try to own as many discs as possible from the outset, which is precisely the wrong instinct — holding a large majority in the middle game usually means you have run out of safe moves. The better aim is mobility: keep your own options plentiful, limit your opponent's, and avoid the squares adjacent to the corners that hand a corner over. Corners can never be flipped, which is why a single one is often worth more than a dozen discs elsewhere.
How to Play
Place a disc so that enemy discs are caught in an unbroken line between it and another of your own. Every enclosed disc flips to your colour. If no move flips anything, your turn passes. The player with more discs when the board is full, or when neither side can move, wins.
💡 Tips & Strategy
Flipping the most discs early is usually a mistake. Discs change hands constantly, and only the final count matters — a player leading heavily at move twenty frequently loses, because they have run out of safe moves.
Corners are permanent and decide games. They can never be flipped, and they anchor whole edges. Never play the square diagonally adjacent to an empty corner unless forced, since it hands the corner over.
Play for mobility instead of material. Keeping your own discs few and interior means your opponent runs out of legal moves before you do, and a player with no safe move must eventually give you a corner.
Edges are strong but treacherous. A disc on an edge is safe from most directions, yet an edge sequence with a gap can be flipped wholesale — so complete an edge or leave it alone.