In the example below, Black has the corner at h8, and stable discs next to it. Once you have a corner, you can often build more adjacent stable discs around it. Because of that, corners are the most valuable squares on the board. Below you will find a brief guide with concepts that will help you get started.Īccording to the rules of Othello, once a disc is placed in a corner, that disc can never be flipped back (it is 'stable'). If both players have the same number of discs, then the game is a draw.Īlthough the rules of Othello are very simple, mastering the game is not easy. The player with the most discs on the board at the end of the game wins. A game of Othello may end before the board is completely filled. When neither player can move, the game ends. If a player does not have any valid moves, play passes back to the other player.

If White plays the bottom left option and flips one disc: This player operates under the same rules, with the roles reversed: White lays down a white disc, causing black discs to flip. If Black decides to place a disc in the topmost location, one white disc gets flipped, and the board now looks like this: In the starting position, Black has the following 4 options indicated by translucent discs:Īfter placing the disc, Black flips all white discs lying on a straight line between the new disc and any existing black discs. Black moves first.īlack must place a black disc on the board, in such a way that there is at least one straight (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) occupied line between the new disc and another black disc, with one or more contiguous white pieces between them.

The game traditionally begins with four discs placed in the middle of the board as shown below. Othello is a strategy board game for two players (Black and White), played on an 8 by 8 board.

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