What is Othello and how is it played?

Othello is the version of Reversi that has an official rule book, a world championship and a deep body of theory. Here is how it works and why the fixed opening matters.

Quick answer: Othello is the modern, standardised form of Reversi, created by Goro Hasegawa in 1973. It uses the same flank-and-flip capture on an 8x8 board, but fixes the four opening discs in a diagonal cross so every game starts identically. Dark moves first, and whoever owns more discs when the board fills wins.

How Othello is played

The four central squares begin filled with two dark and two light discs in a diagonal cross. Dark always moves first. On each turn you place a disc that traps a straight line of enemy discs between it and another of your own, flipping all the trapped discs. If you cannot flip anything, you pass. When neither side can move, or the board is full, the majority of discs wins. Play a full game on the Othello board.

Why the fixed opening matters

Because every Othello game starts from the same position, openings can be studied, named and memorised, and edge and endgame technique can be catalogued. That depth is why the game has been played at the highest level since the first World Othello Championship in 1977, and why the strongest computer programs now play far beyond human strength. If you prefer varied starts, the free-opening Reversi is the classic alternative.

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Related questions

What is the difference between Reversi and Othello?

Reversi and Othello use the same rules - place a disc to flank and flip your opponent's pieces. The differences are historical: Reversi is the older Victorian game that traditionally lets players choose where the first four discs go, while Othello is the standardised, trademarked 1973 version that fixes those four discs in a diagonal cross.

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.

Why are corners so important in Reversi?

Corners are the most valuable squares in Reversi because a disc placed in a corner can never be flanked or flipped. It becomes a permanent anchor that lets you flip long lines for the rest of the game and stabilise entire edges. Most Reversi games are decided by who wins the corners.