How many discs are used in Reversi?
The disc count in Reversi is tied directly to the board size. Here is the breakdown.
Discs and the board
Because there is exactly one disc per square, the standard 8x8 board uses 64 discs. Every disc is two-sided - dark and light - so the same physical piece can belong to either player and flips as it is captured. The game starts with four discs in the centre and the rest are added as play continues, on the board.
Discs on other board sizes
The count scales with the grid: the 4x4 Mini board uses up to 16 discs, 6x6 uses 36, and the 10x10 Grand board uses 100. In every case the split at the end decides the winner, so knowing the total tells you what a majority looks like - 33 discs wins on 8x8.
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.
Can a game of Reversi end in a draw?
Yes. If both colours finish with 32 discs each on the standard 8x8 board, the game is a draw. Draws are uncommon but entirely possible, and at the highest level of Othello games are often decided by a margin of just two discs.
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.