Board Games guide
How to play Reversi: rules, strategy and beginner tips
Reversi is a game for two on an 8×8 board. On each turn you place a disc so that one or more lines of the other player's discs are trapped between the new disc and another of your own, and those discs are flipped to your colour. When neither player can move, the player with more discs on the board wins.
What you need
Two players, a board of 8×8 squares and 64 discs that are dark on one side and light on the other. One player is dark and the other light.
Reversi was invented in England in the 1880s. Two men, Lewis Waterman and John W. Mollett, each claimed to be its inventor. The version almost everyone plays now starts with four discs already on the board.
Setting up
Place four discs on the four middle squares, two dark and two light, so that the two discs of each colour sit diagonally from each other. Dark moves first.
Worked example
From the starting position dark has exactly four legal moves. Each one traps a single light disc between the new disc and a dark disc already there. Whichever dark chooses, the count after the first move is four dark and one light.
A turn
- Find a line. Look for a straight, unbroken line of the other player's discs that has one of your discs at one end and an empty square at the other. The line can run across, up and down, or diagonally.
- Place your disc on that empty square.
- Flip every disc in the trapped line to your colour. If the new disc traps lines in several directions, all of them are flipped.
- Every move must flip at least one disc. You cannot place a disc where nothing is trapped.
- Only the disc you place does the trapping. Discs that are flipped do not go on to flip others in the same turn.
- You may not hold back. All the discs that are outflanked by your move are turned over, whether you want them or not.
Passing and the end of the game
If it is your turn and no square would flip a disc, you pass and the other player moves again. You may not pass when you have a legal move.
The game ends when neither player can move. That is usually when all 64 squares are full, but it can come earlier: when one colour has been wiped out, or when the remaining empty squares are no use to either side.
Winning
Count the discs of each colour. More discs wins. The same number each is a draw.
Worked example
The game ends with three empty squares that neither player can use. There are 33 dark discs and 28 light: dark wins by five. The empty squares are not added to either total.
The count during the game tells you very little. A single move late on can flip a dozen discs, and the player who is behind on discs for most of the game is often the one who is winning.
Strategy for beginners
- Corners are the best squares. A corner disc cannot be outflanked, so it is yours for the rest of the game, and discs on the edges beside it become safe too.
- Avoid the three squares round an empty corner. A disc there, most of all on the square diagonally next to the corner, is usually the stepping stone the other player needs to take it.
- Flip as few as you can in the opening. Having few discs leaves the other player few lines to trap and so few moves.
- Keep your discs in the middle of the group. Discs with empty squares next to them create moves for the other side. Discs surrounded by other discs do not.
- Make the other player run out of good moves. When every move they have left is next to a corner, the corner is yours.
- Count the empty squares near the end. Whoever places the last disc in a region usually gains there, since nothing can flip it back.
- Taking the move that flips the most discs every turn.
- Grabbing an edge early and leaving a gap that lets the other player in behind it.
- Playing next to an empty corner because nothing else looks attractive.
Common variations
| Variation | What changes | On Yuzool |
|---|---|---|
| Open start | The original 1880s rule: the board begins empty and the players take turns to place the first four discs on the four middle squares. | A Pro rule option |
| Fixed start | The four middle discs are set out diagonally before play. This is the modern game. | The standard game |
| Smaller or larger boards | The same rules on 6×6 or 10×10 squares. | Not offered |
Questions
Who goes first in Reversi?
Dark moves first.
What happens if you cannot move in Reversi?
You pass and the other player takes another turn. If neither player can move, the game is over.
Can you flip discs diagonally?
Yes. A line can run across, up and down, or along a diagonal, and one move can flip lines in several directions at once.
Why are the corners so important?
A disc in a corner can never be trapped between two discs, so it can never be flipped. It also anchors the discs along both edges that meet there.
How many discs do you need to win?
More than the other player when the game ends. On a full board that means 33 or more of the 64.