How to play Othello
A quick 5-step guide. Then jump into a game.
🎯 The goal
Othello is played on an 8×8 board with black and white discs. When no one can move, the player with more discs wins. You play black.
▶️ The start
The game begins with four discs in the center. Black always moves first.
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🔁 Flipping discs
Place a disc so the opponent's discs are trapped in a straight line between your new disc and another of yours. Those discs flip to your color.
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place ⚫ →
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✔️ You must flip
You can only play where you'd flip at least one disc. Legal spots are highlighted. If you have no legal move, you pass and the other player goes.
🏆 Winning
The game ends when neither player can move — usually when the board is full. Count the discs: the color with more wins. Equal counts is a draw. Ready?
Frequently asked questions
What is a good first move for a beginner?
In the standard Othello position, Black's four legal first moves are mirror images of each other, so none is objectively better — pick any. The real decisions start from the second and third moves: from there, focus on keeping your options open rather than on flipping many discs.
What is the most common beginner mistake?
Flipping as many discs as possible in the opening. Early discs are easily flipped back, and grabbing them limits your own moves. Strong players often keep their disc count low through the middlegame, aiming instead for mobility — more legal moves than the opponent — and cashing in discs only near the end.
What are X-squares and C-squares?
They are the squares touching a corner: the X-square diagonally, the C-squares along the edges. Playing them early is risky because they often hand the adjacent corner to your opponent — and corners, once taken, can never be flipped. Beginners improve fast simply by avoiding these squares until they know when they are safe.
Why can't I place a disc on some empty squares?
Every move must trap at least one enemy disc in a straight line between your new disc and one of yours already on the board — squares that do this are highlighted for you. If no such square exists, you pass the turn; passing is part of the rules, not a penalty.
Why does the game start with four discs in the centre?
Othello's rules fix the start: two black and two white discs in the centre, arranged diagonally, with Black moving first. This guarantees every first move flips something and makes all games comparable — it is also the key difference from old-style Reversi, where players placed their first discs freely.