Othello: Game Rules & Strategy Guide

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Set up and learn how to play this fun strategy game in minutes

Co-authored by Tara Blau Smollen and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: September 17, 2023 Fact Checked

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Setup

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Gameplay

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Strategies to Win

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Video

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Expert Interview

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Q&A

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Are you looking for an exciting 2-player game that’s super simple to learn but takes years to master? Othello, also known as Reversi, is the perfect game that has complex strategies but is still suitable for all ages. Whether you’re playing the game for the first time or just need to brush up on the rules, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading, and we’ll teach you everything about Othello so you’re ready to crush your opponent on your next game night!

Things You Should Know

Number of Players: 2
Materials Needed: 8 x 8 square Othello board, 64 double-sided disks (black on one side, white on the other)
Objective: Have the most disks of your color on the board at the end of the game.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Setup

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1
Set out the Othello board and give each player 30 disks. Set the square 8 x 8 board in between the players. Decide who wants to play as black and who wants to play as white. Then, give each person 30 disks, which are black on one side and white on the other. Flip all of your disks so the color you chose is face-up.^{[1]
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- Don’t have an Othello board at home? Just use a chess or checkerboard instead.
- Because the black player has a slight advantage of going first, let less-experienced players use the black pieces.
Tip: If you do not have a board or pieces, then draw one on a piece of paper. Get a piece of 8 by 8 in (20 by 20 cm) paper or cardstock, and draw lines to create a grid of 64 spaces. Use coins in place of pieces and have each player choose heads or tails to represent them on the board.
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Place 2 black and 2 white disks at the center of the board. Take the 4 leftover disks and place them in the 4 squares in the center of the board. Place them so 2 have the black side face-up and 2 have the white side showing. Put the disks with matching colors in the spaces that are diagonal to each other.^{[2]
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- If you label the board with columns a–h and rows 1–8, the black pieces start on spaces d4 and e5, and the white pieces on e4 and d5.
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Place disks in the corners to give an inexperienced player an advantage. If one player is more inexperienced than the other, the more skilled player can place up to 4 of their disks in the board’s corners. Because the less experienced player uses the black side of the disks, place the 4 pieces with their black side face-up to give them better positions on the board and a 4-point headstart.^{[3]
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- If you’re closer in skill level, only place 1–2 disks in the corners instead.
- If you and your opponent are at the same level, don't place any additional pieces on the board.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Gameplay

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1
Place a disk so it forms a row of pieces that ends with your color. Look for an open space on the board that’s adjacent to one of your opponent’s pieces. If placing a disk encloses a straight horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row of your opponent’s pieces between 2 disks of your color, then it’s a legal move. This is also known as “outflanking” in Othello.^{[4]
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- Example: On black’s first turn, they could play a disk on e3, f4, c5, or d6. They couldn’t play on d3 because there are no white disks between the 2 black ones.
- Once you play a piece on the board, you can’t move it to a different space.
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Flip the disks of the opposite color to the other side in the same row. Once you outflank disks in a row, flip them over to your color to capture them. If the disk you played closed formed multiple rows, then flip the pieces in each one. The disks now count as your pieces on the board even if you didn’t originally play them.^{[5]
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- Example: If black’s first turn was on d6, they would flip the white disk at d5 over to the black side.
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Pass the turn to your opponent to continue playing. After you finish your turn, it’s your opponent’s turn to play a disk so it outflanks one of your pieces. When they put a piece down, at least 1 black piece has to be between the white disk they just played and another white disk on the board for it to be a legal move. Then, they’ll flip all the outflanked pieces to their color.^{[6]
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- Remember that the row can be horizontal, diagonal or vertical, so there are multiple spaces to choose from.
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Take turns placing disks until you can’t make a legal move. As the board fills up with more disks, keep looking for a space that outflanks a row of your opponent’s pieces. If you don’t see any legal spaces on the board where you can play, forfeit your turn. If neither player can perform a legal move, then the game is over.^{[7]
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- If you have a legal move, you have to take it even if it isn’t advantageous for you.^{[8]
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- You’re able to come back into the game after you forfeit your turn. If your opponent plays a piece that opens up a space for you on the board, play a disk there on your next turn.
If you had to forfeit a few turns and your opponent keeps playing disks, then they may run out of pieces before you do. If they still have a legal move but are out of pieces, you must hand them one of your pieces instead. If you both run out of pieces, then the game ends.^{[9]
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Once there are no more legal moves, count up all of the disks of each color. Whichever player has more disks of his color wins the game.^{[10]
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Interested in playing other types of strategy board games? Try playing checkers, chess, or Risk for a fun new challenge!

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Strategies to Win

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Establish stable disk positions around the edges and corners. Focus on playing disks near the edges of the board and the corners since they’re the most stable positions. Disks in the corners cannot be flipped and disks along the edges are harder to outflank, so you have a better chance of maintaining control over the board.^{[11]
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- Avoid playing disks in the spaces immediately next to the corners or next to the edge rows if possible since this gives your opponent the chance to outflank you and gain the corner position.
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Wait to place disks in spaces where your opponent can’t play. If you have the opportunity to make a move that is unavailable to your opponent, look for a different option to play that turn and save the other move for later. This gives you an advantage by limiting your opponent’s available moves while ensuring you have a move available later in the game.^{[12]
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- For example, if you can place a disk in a corner, but your opponent is unable to do so, then hang onto this move and do something else with your turn instead.
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Limit the number of disks you flip over early in the game. While it might seem like flipping as many disks as possible is the key to victory, this actually makes you more vulnerable and gives your opponent more opportunities to outflank you. Instead, make moves that only flip over 1 or 2 disks until you have played about half of your pieces. By waiting to make big moves, your opponent will be more limited in where they can play.^{[13]
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- For example, if there is a move available to you that would allow you to flip 4 disks and a move that would allow you to flip 2 disks, take the 2-disk move that’s less risky.
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Place pieces strategically around the board to avoid getting boxed in. It may seem like a great strategy to only play along the edges of the board or in the same area, but this may end up limiting your available moves later in the game. Ensure that you are placing disks in a variety of locations around the board. Otherwise, your opponent may see an opportunity to block your other moves and prevent big plays.^{[14]
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- Try to balance your pieces between the edges, middle, and center so you have opportunities to outflank your opponent in multiple places.

Community Q&A

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Question

The discs at 4 corners of the board cannot be flip after being placed there right? But we can flip those alongside the edges?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Correct, any disks placed in the corners will stay their original color throughout the entire game, but pieces along the edge may still be flipped as long as there are open spaces.

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Is it a valid move to place disc between the two opponent's discs as long as it outflanks other discs of the opponent?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Yes, you can place your disk anywhere as long as at least 1 of your opponent's disks sandwiched between 2 of your pieces a straight horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row.

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If you place a black peice in the middle of a white line with black pieces at either side can you flip the whole line ?

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Yes, you can flip multiple rows if playing a piece outflanks 2 or more at the same time.

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Tips

Set a 30-minute time limit for each player's total moves if you want to play a fast, intense game of Othello. Keep the clock running when you take your turn and pause the clock when you finish.^{[15]
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