Which Reversi game is best for beginners?

Every Reversi variant shares the same simple rules, so 'best for beginners' is really about picking a gentle board and opponent. Here is a sensible ladder.

Quick answer: Beginners should start with standard Reversi or the smaller 6x6 board against the easy computer. The rules are the same everywhere, but a smaller board and a gentler opponent make the flank-and-flip idea easy to see. Move up to Othello's fixed opening and the medium or hard computer as your confidence grows.

Start small and gentle

Begin with standard Reversi against the easy computer, or try the compact 6x6 board, where games are short and the corners come into play quickly so you learn their value fast. The tiny 4x4 Mini board is also a great teaching tool - a full game lasts only a couple of minutes and you can see every flip clearly.

Level up as you improve

Once the rules feel natural, switch to Othello for its studied fixed opening and raise the computer to medium, then hard. When you want your instincts challenged, try Anti-Reversi, where the goal is reversed. The rules hub and strategy guide will take you the rest of the way.

Start with an easy game

Related questions

How do you play Reversi?

On your turn, place a disc on an empty square so that it traps one or more of your opponent's discs in a straight line between your new disc and another of your discs. All trapped discs flip to your colour. You must flip at least one disc; if you cannot, your turn is skipped. When the board is full or neither player can move, the most discs wins.

How do you win at Reversi?

Winning Reversi comes down to three ideas: grab the corners safely because corner discs can never be flipped; play for mobility by keeping many good moves for yourself and few for your opponent; and control parity so you make the last move in each region. Chasing raw disc count early is usually a mistake.

Which Reversi boards are solved?

The small boards are solved: on 4x4 the second player wins with perfect play, and on 6x6 the second player wins 20-16. The standard 8x8 game was weakly solved in 2023 by Hiroki Takizawa and proven to be a draw with perfect play, though that took an enormous computation. Larger boards like 10x10 are still far beyond exhaustive analysis.