Classic disc-flipping strategy

Classic Othello & Reversi

Trap your opponent's discs between your own to flip them to your color — whoever controls the most squares when the board fills wins.

Black 2 White 2

Black's turn

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Legal moves highlighted

Every square you can legally play on this turn is marked automatically, no guessing required.

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Automatic pass handling

If you have no legal move, your turn passes on its own so play never stalls.

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Live scoreboard

Watch the disc count for black and white update after every move, right through to the final tally.

How to play Othello / Reversi

Two players share one device and take turns placing discs on an 8x8 board, starting from the standard four-disc setup in the center.

  1. Take turns placing discsBlack moves first. Click any highlighted square to place a disc there.
  2. Flip your opponent's discsAny straight line of the opponent's discs trapped between your new disc and another disc of yours flips to your color.
  3. Count the discs to winWhen neither player can move, the color with the most discs on the board wins the game.

About the game

Othello and Reversi are simple to learn but famously deep — a single well-placed disc can flip the balance of the entire board a dozen moves later. Because every move can only be made where it flips at least one opposing disc, the position changes fast, and strong players think several moves ahead about mobility rather than just disc count.

Simple rules, deep strategy

There is exactly one rule to learn — flank and flip — yet the resulting games rarely play out the same way twice.

Corners matter most

Discs in the corners can never be flipped, making them the most valuable squares on the board.

Mobility over material

Having the most discs early is often a trap — strong players preserve options and limit their opponent's legal moves instead.

A game for two, on one device

Pass the device back and forth for a quick, screen-free-feeling match anywhere.

Othello & Reversi FAQ

Common questions about rules, passing and scoring.

What is the difference between Othello and Reversi?

Othello and Reversi share the same core rules of flipping opponent discs between two of your own. Othello is a trademarked, standardized version of the older Reversi game, and this tool plays the shared standard 8x8 ruleset both names refer to.

What happens if I have no legal moves?

If a player has no legal move on their turn, that turn is automatically passed to the opponent. If neither player can move, the game ends immediately and the discs are counted.

How do I win?

The game ends when the board is full or neither player can move. Whoever has the most discs of their color on the board at that point wins. A tie is possible if the discs split evenly.

Can I undo a move?

Not currently. Take a moment before placing a disc since flips are immediate and cannot be reversed - use New Game to start over.

Is this the two-player version only?

Yes, this is a local two-player hotseat game for two people sharing one device. There is no computer opponent.

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