Standard Reversi

Standard

Reversi is a game purportedly invented in the early nineteenth century by either Lewis Waterman or John W. Mollett, but may actually be an older game. It is played on an 8×8 board with double-sided pieces — discs with each side distinct in some way from the other, each side designating ownership to a certain player when face-up.

Reversi was invented by Lewis Waterman and John Mollett in England around 1883. World Reversi Championships have been held annually since 1977.

Setup

Board: 8×8 grid (64 squares).

Pieces: A supply of double-sided discs — one side dark, one side light. Each player claims one colour.

Starting position: Place 2 discs of each colour in the central four squares in a diagonal arrangement: one colour at d4 and e5, the other at d5 and e4.

First move: The player with the dark pieces moves first.

Rules

• Placement: On your turn, place a disc so it flanks one or more of your opponent’s discs in a straight line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) — with your newly placed disc at one end and an existing disc of yours at the other end, with the opponent’s discs between them.
• Flipping: All flanked discs flip to your colour immediately.
• Multiple lines: A single placement may flank opponent discs in more than one direction simultaneously. All flanked discs in all directions flip.
• Passing: If you cannot make any legal placement — no position on the board would flank at least one opponent disc — you must pass your turn.
• No voluntary pass: You are forced to move if you have any legal placement available.

Winning

Play continues until the board is full or neither player can make a legal move. The player with the most discs of their colour on the board wins.

Attribution

Reversi. Public domain. Invented by Lewis Waterman and John Mollett, England, c. 1883.