Who goes first in Reversi?

Turn order in Reversi is fixed and simple, but the advantage it gives is worth understanding. Here is the rule and what it means.

Quick answer: 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.

Dark moves first, always

By convention the dark discs open every game, then play alternates. When you play the computer here you are dark, so you always make the first move on the board. On the fixed-opening Othello position, dark's first legal move flips one of the light discs in the centre.

How much does first move help?

On the standard 8x8 board, moving first is a slight edge, though the game is close to balanced and skill matters far more. Interestingly, on the fully solved small boards the advantage flips: on 4x4 and 6x6 the second player wins with perfect play. So who benefits from turn order actually depends on the board size.

Take the first move - play now

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.

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.

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.