Reversi is a two-player game on an 8x8 board where you win by flipping your opponent's discs. A free, no sign-up browser version is planned. Meanwhile, here is how it works.
Reversi History: From Victorian England to Today
Reversi is usually dated to England in 1883, when two men, Lewis Waterman and John W. Mollett, each claimed to have invented it, and each called the other a fraud. The first reliable printed mention appears a few years later, in The Saturday Review in 1886.
The original game began with an empty board and a different opening: each player first placed two discs in the four central squares, and only then did flipping begin. A Japanese publication from 1907 already describes a version with the modern rules, including the rule that a player who cannot move simply passes.
In the early 1970s, Goro Hasegawa patented a variant in Japan with a fixed starting position, and it was launched commercially in 1973 under the name Othello. Othello is a registered trademark, so we use the older, general name Reversi. The two games are close relatives, and most players treat them as the same game with different openings.
How to Play Reversi: Basic Rules
Reversi is played by two players on an 8x8 board with 64 two-sided discs, one color per side, usually black and white. The goal is simple: have more discs of your color than your opponent when the game ends. In the common modern version, the board starts with four discs in the center, two of each color, placed diagonally. Black moves first.
- On your turn, place one disc on an empty square. The move must flip at least one opposing disc, so it must be adjacent to an opponent's disc.
- A disc is flipped when it lies in a straight line, horizontally, vertically or diagonally, between the disc you just placed and another disc of your color, with no gaps or empty squares between them.
- One move can flip discs in several directions at once. Every qualifying line is flipped.
- If you have no legal move, you pass and your opponent plays again. You may never pass when you have a legal move.
- The game ends when the board is full or neither player can move. The player with more discs wins, and equal counts are a draw.
- Flipped discs can be flipped back later, so an early lead in discs often means little.
Reversi vs Othello: Rule Variants
The main difference is the opening. Historical Reversi starts with an empty board and the first moves go in the central squares, while Othello begins with the four center discs already placed and Black moving first. Most online games, including the one planned here, use the fixed-start format.
Reversi Strategy: Tips to Win More Games
Reversi rewards patience. Beginners chase disc count, but strong players focus on position and options for most of the game.
- Take the corners. A corner disc can never be flipped, because no line can pass through it, so it becomes a permanent anchor for you.
- Avoid the squares next to empty corners. Placing a disc there often gives your opponent the corner on their next move.
- Value mobility. Mobility means the number of legal moves you have. Aim to keep many options while leaving your opponent few, because a player who runs out of good moves is forced into bad ones.
- Flip fewer discs early. Fewer discs means your opponent has fewer places to play.
- Build stable edges. Discs along an edge that are anchored to a corner are hard to flip.
- Think about parity. Late in the game, try to make the last move in each empty region.
- Count ahead near the end. With around ten empty squares left, calculate exact sequences, and only then switch to maximizing your final disc count.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Reversi the same as Othello?
They are very close relatives. Reversi appeared in England in the 1880s, while Othello is a trademarked version launched in Japan in 1973. The main difference is the starting position: Othello always begins with four discs in the center, while the original Reversi began with an empty board.
How many discs are in a Reversi game?
A standard set has 64 discs, one for each square of the 8x8 board. Each disc has two sides, one for each player. The game often finishes earlier if neither player can move, so the final count is frequently below 64, with some squares left empty.
What happens if a player cannot move?
In the common modern rules, a player with no legal move passes, and the opponent plays again. The game ends only when the board is full or neither side has a legal move. If a player has any legal move, they must make one.
Why are corners so important in Reversi?
A disc in a corner can never be flipped, because a flip requires an opposing disc on both ends of a line, and a corner has no square beyond it. Corner discs also anchor stable edge discs, which makes corners the most valuable squares on the board.
Has Reversi been solved?
For the 8x8 Othello version, a 2023 preprint by Hiroki Takizawa reports a weak solution: with perfect play from both sides, the game ends in a draw. It is a preprint, and humans still find the game rich.
Will I be able to play Reversi here for free?
That is the plan. We intend to offer a free browser version with no sign-up, where you can play against a computer opponent and invite friends to a game. We will announce it here when it launches, and nothing needs to be downloaded or paid for.