How to play
How to play Reversi
Reversi (also called Othello) is a two-player game about flipping your opponent’s discs to your colour. Whoever has the most discs at the end wins.
Try it yourself
Step 1 of 4
You play Black. The goal is to finish with the most discs. Discs are captured by flanking.
The rules
The board and pieces
Reversi is played on an 8×8 board. Each disc is black on one side and white on the other. The game starts with four discs in the centre — two black, two white — placed diagonally.
Making a move
On your turn you place one disc of your colour. A move is only legal if it traps one or more of your opponent’s discs in a straight line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) between the disc you just placed and another of your discs. All trapped discs flip to your colour.
The pass rule
If you cannot make a legal move, your turn is skipped — this is called a pass. You do not place a disc. Play continues with your opponent, and resumes for you once you have a legal move again.
Winning
The game ends when the board is full or neither player can move. Count the discs: the player with more discs of their colour wins. Corners are powerful because they can never be flipped.