Reversi

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You · Black

2

Score0-0

CPU · White

2

Place a disc

REVERSI ROYALE

Trap enemy discs between your pieces, steal the board, and control the four corners. Every move can trigger a comeback.

AI difficulty

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About Reversi

Reversi dates back to the 1880s in England, and the modern "Othello" branding — with its fixed starting position and standard 8×8 board — was trademarked in Japan in 1971; both names describe the exact same ruleset played here. Every move must flank at least one line of your opponent's discs between the disc you place and another disc you already control in that direction, flipping the entire captured line to your color in one move — a square that wouldn't flip anything simply isn't a legal move and won't highlight. If you have no legal move on your turn, the game skips you automatically and passes back to your opponent without you touching anything, and the match ends the instant neither side can move, with the higher disc count declared the winner. The CPU runs a depth-limited minimax search with alpha-beta pruning, weighing corner control heavily (a corner disc can never be flipped back) and treating the squares diagonally next to each corner as traps, since playing there often hands the opponent that corner for free; once the board is down to its final 10 or so empty squares, the CPU switches to searching every remaining move to the end of the game rather than guessing. Play solo against that CPU or open an online room to send the code or link to a friend on their own device — no download or account needed.

Load up Reversi at Playaby and play free, right in your browser — no downloads, no sign-up.

How to Play Reversi

Objective

Flank a line of your opponent’s discs between two of your own to flip them — have the most discs on the board when neither side can move.

  • Click a highlighted square to place a disc there
  • Any opponent discs sandwiched in a straight line between your new disc and another one of yours flip to your color
  • If you have no legal move, your turn is skipped automatically and passes back to your opponent
  • The game ends when neither player has a legal move — most discs on the board wins
  • Or challenge a friend online — create a room and share the code or link

Desktop Controls

  • Click any highlighted square to place a disc — only squares that would flip at least one opponent disc are playable
  • If you have no legal move, your turn is skipped automatically and the CPU (or your opponent) moves again without any input from you
  • Watch the live disc count in the header to track the score as the board fills
  • Use "New game" once the board is decided to start a fresh round while keeping your running score

Mobile Controls

  • Tap a highlighted square exactly where you'd click — works the same as desktop, no extra gestures needed

Tips for Reversi

  • Claiming a corner is permanent — a corner disc can never be flipped back, so it anchors an entire edge for the rest of the game.
  • Avoid playing the squares diagonally adjacent to an empty corner unless you have no other legal move; doing so usually lets your opponent flip in and take that corner outright.
  • Having the most discs early isn't an advantage — a big lead mid-game just gives your opponent more of your discs to flip later, so prioritize board position and mobility over raw disc count until the final stretch.
  • Try to keep more legal moves available to yourself than your opponent has; being forced into a bad square (or worse, passing) hands over the initiative.
  • Edge squares next to a corner you already own are safe to take, since your opponent can no longer flank them from that corner's direction.

Reversi — Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play Reversi?

Flank a line of your opponent’s discs between two of your own to flip them — have the most discs on the board when neither side can move. Click a highlighted square to place a disc there.

Is Reversi free to play?

Yes — Reversi is completely free to play on Playaby, with no downloads, no account, and no in-game purchases.

Can I play Reversi on my phone or tablet?

Yes. Reversi runs directly in your browser, so it works on desktop, phone, and tablet with touch controls built in — there's nothing to install and no extra permissions needed.

What are the controls for Reversi?

Click a highlighted square to place a disc there. Any opponent discs sandwiched in a straight line between your new disc and another one of yours flip to your color. If you have no legal move, your turn is skipped automatically and passes back to your opponent. The game ends when neither player has a legal move — most discs on the board wins. Or challenge a friend online — create a room and share the code or link.

Where can I find more board games like Reversi?

Playaby has a full page of free board games you can browse and jump straight into — no downloads required for any of them.

What is the difference between Reversi and Othello?

They are the same game. "Reversi" is the original 19th-century English name; "Othello" is the trademarked Japanese branding from 1971 that standardized the fixed starting position and 8×8 board — the rules played here match both.

What happens if I have no legal move in Reversi?

Your turn is skipped automatically and passes straight to your opponent — there's no button to press. If neither side has a legal move, the game ends immediately and whoever has more discs on the board wins.

How do I flip discs in Reversi?

Place a disc so it sandwiches one or more of your opponent's discs in an unbroken straight line — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal — between your new disc and another disc you already own. Every disc in that line flips to your color the moment you place.

Why does the AI play the corners so aggressively?

Corner squares can never be flipped back once taken, making them the single most valuable squares on the board. The AI's evaluation weighs them heavily positive and treats the squares diagonally next to a corner as a trap, since playing one of those often hands the adjacent corner to the opponent.

Can I play Reversi online against a friend?

Yes — create a room and share the code or link, and a friend on their own device joins your match directly, no download or account needed. It sits alongside the vs-CPU mode, and the game keeps a running score across rematches.