How to play Reversi
- 1Choose 2 Players or take on the AI on Easy or Hard. Black always moves first.
- 2You may only play where you trap a straight line of your opponent's discs between the disc you place and another of yours.
- 3Every trapped disc in that line flips to your colour. Valid squares are marked with a dot.
- 4If you have no legal move, your turn is skipped automatically.
- 5The game ends when the board is full or neither player can move.
- 6Whoever has the most discs of their colour on the board wins.
Reversi - sold commercially as Othello - takes 'a minute to learn, a lifetime to master'. The board can flip dramatically on a single move, so counting discs early means little. Strong players fight for the corners, which can never be flipped, and avoid the squares next to them. Our Hard AI uses a classic positional weighting to do exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Reversi and Othello?＋
They're essentially the same game. Othello is a standardised, trademarked version of Reversi with a fixed starting position - which is the one used here.
Why can't I place a disc there?＋
You can only play a move that flanks and flips at least one of your opponent's discs. Legal squares are shown with a small dot.
What happens if I can't move?＋
Your turn is skipped and play passes to your opponent. If neither player can move, the game ends and discs are counted.
How do I get better at Reversi?＋
Grab the corners whenever you safely can, avoid the squares diagonally next to empty corners, and focus on mobility rather than flipping the most discs early.