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Flip their discs, own the corners

Reversi online

Play Reversi (Othello) online with a friend or against a bot. Trap your opponent’s discs between your own, flip them, and finish with the majority.

Reversi hides the most counter-intuitive rule in board games: whoever leads on discs at halfway usually loses. What matters is mobility and corners — a corner can never be flipped back.

Players2 players
Game length6 minutes
H
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How to play

  1. An 8×8 board starts with four discs in the centre. Player one moves first.
  2. A disc may only be placed where it traps an unbroken line of enemy discs against another of your own.
  3. Every trapped disc flips to your colour.
  4. A player with no legal move is skipped automatically.
  5. When neither player can move, the majority of discs wins.

Strategy

  • Corners are the most valuable squares on the board — once taken, they can never be flipped.
  • Avoid the squares next to a corner. They hand the corner straight over.
  • Aim to have fewer discs at halfway. Fewer discs means more moves and more choice.
  • Mobility decides games: run out of moves and you must pass, letting your opponent pick anything.

Frequently asked

Are Reversi and Othello the same game?

Essentially yes. Othello is the newer commercial version with a fixed starting position. The rules we use here match Othello.

Why is holding lots of discs at halfway bad?

Every disc you own is a square your opponent can play next to. Fewer discs means more options for you and fewer for them — and it reverses in the endgame.

What happens when I have no legal move?

Your turn passes automatically; you do not have to do anything. If neither player can move, the game ends.

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