How do you play Reversi?
Reversi has only a handful of rules, and you will understand them in the time it takes to read this. Here is everything you need to sit down and play.
The rules, step by step
1) Dark moves first. 2) Place a disc so it flanks a straight line of your opponent's discs - in any of the eight directions - between it and another disc of your colour. 3) Every trapped disc flips to your colour. 4) You may only play where at least one disc flips; legal squares are highlighted on our board. 5) If you have no legal move, you pass automatically. 6) The game ends when the board fills or neither side can move; count discs to find the winner.
Common beginner questions
Yes, one move can flip discs in several directions at once. No, suits or numbers do not exist - only the two colours. And yes, passing is forced, not optional. Once the rules click, spend your energy learning how to win, because the strategy is where Reversi comes alive. Beginners often enjoy starting on the smaller 6x6 board.
Related questions
What is Reversi?
Reversi is a two-player abstract strategy game played on an 8x8 board with double-sided discs, one colour per player. On your turn you place a disc so it traps a straight line of your opponent's discs between two of yours, flipping them all to your colour. When the board fills up, whoever has more 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.
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.