Can you pass your turn in Reversi?
Passing in Reversi is a common source of confusion because it is forced, never optional. Here is exactly how it works.
Passing is forced, not a choice
On your turn you must play a move that flips at least one enemy disc, if such a move exists - you cannot decline in order to keep your position tidy. Only if you genuinely have no legal move does the game skip you and let your opponent play again. On our board your legal moves are highlighted, so it is always clear whether you can move.
When passes end the game
If both players in a row have no legal move, the game ends immediately - even if empty squares remain - and the discs are counted. Forced passes are especially common on the small 4x4 board, where engineering a position that makes your opponent skip is a real weapon. This is also central to the reversed Anti-Reversi 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.
Who goes first in Reversi?
Dark - the black discs - always moves first in Reversi and Othello. On this site you play the dark discs against the computer, so you take the opening move of every game. Moving first is generally considered a small advantage on the 8x8 board.
What is Anti-Reversi (Misere Reversi)?
Anti-Reversi, also called Reversed or Misere Reversi, uses all the normal rules but inverts the goal - the player with the fewest discs at the end wins. You must still make legal flanking moves, so the challenge is steering the game so your opponent is forced to accumulate discs while you stay lean.