How do you play Reversi?
Starting from four discs in the middle of an 8×8 board, trap your opponent's discs between two of yours and every trapped disc flips to your color. When the board is full or neither side can move, the player with more discs wins.
Lines can run across, down or diagonally, and one move can flip several lines at once. Black moves first, and against the computer you play black.
What if I have no move?
If you cannot flip any disc, your turn passes automatically. If neither player can move, the game ends even if the board is not full.
Is it the same as Othello?
Yes, the rules are the same. Reversi is the original 19th century name, and Othello is a later branded version of the same rules with the same crossed starting position and black moving first.
How strong is the computer?
| Level | How it plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Mostly grabs the most discs, sometimes plays at random |
| Normal | Looks two moves ahead and weighs good and bad squares |
| Hard | Reads four moves ahead and plays the last ten moves perfectly |
Strategy tips
- Take the corners. A corner disc can never be flipped, and your discs grow stable along the edges from there.
- Avoid the squares next to corners. The diagonal X squares in particular tend to hand your opponent the corner.
- Flip less early. Limiting your opponent's moves matters more than having many discs in the middle game.
- Count for the last move. Playing the final move often means one last big flip.
Your record against each computer level is saved in this browser.