How to Play Othello or Reversi
Othello, also known as Reversi, is played with two players, each representing a color on the board. The rules are simple, but strategy is what will help you win.
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Turn off the TV and get the family involved in a good old-fashioned parlor game; the rules are all here in this Howcast video series.
You Will Need
- An Othello board
- 64 reversible discs
Steps
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Step 1
Set up the board
Place two black and two white discs in the board's four center squares, with corresponding colors diagonal to each other.
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Step 2
Choose a color
Choose a color for each player. Black goes first.
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Step 3
Begin play
Place a black disc in a square adjacent to a white disc so that a black disc is on either side of a white disc. When a white disc is surrounded, the black player flips the white disc to the black side.
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Step 4
Next player
Move on to the next player. The white player places a disc in a square adjacent to a black disc so that there are white discs on either side of black ones. Flip the black discs to the white side.
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A player can flip any number of opposing discs so long as they have one of their discs on either side of consecutive opposing discs.
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Step 5
Take turns
Take turns playing the game until all of the discs are on the board. If you cannot place a disc on the board so that your color is on either side of another player, you lose your turn.
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The corners are the most powerful spaces on the board. Try to get one of your own colored discs in each of the corners.
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Step 6
Continue play
Continue playing until every space on the board is occupied or no one can make another move. The player who has the most discs on the board wins.
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Othello was created in 1971 by a Japanese salesman named Goro Hasegawa.
