Fancy a quick game of Othello?
Black against white: simple rules with surprisingly deep tactics. Open the page and the board is ready. No sign-up, no ads, nothing to install.
How to play Othello
Start with four discs
The game begins on an 8×8 board with two black and two white discs crossed in the middle. Black moves first, and against the computer that is you.
Place a disc that traps the opponent
Your disc must sit so that one or more opponent discs end up between it and another of your discs. Legal squares are shown as small dots.
Trapped discs all flip
Every trapped disc turns to your color, whether it lies in a row, a column or a diagonal. Several directions can flip at once.
No move? Your turn is skipped
If you have nowhere to play, the turn passes automatically. When neither side can move, or the board is full, the game ends and whoever has more discs wins.
Four tips that help you win
Take the corners
A disc on a corner can never be flipped, which makes it the most valuable square on the board.
Be careful next to corners
Playing right beside a corner, especially diagonally, often hands that corner to your opponent. Only do it when you must.
Fewer discs early is fine
The more you flip, the more options you open up for your opponent. Early on, focus on limiting their choices rather than counting discs.
Build edges one step at a time
A solid, connected edge is hard to flip. Just watch the open ends, because an empty end can still be used to trap you.
Where does Othello come from?
Its roots go back to Reversi, a board game that became popular in England in the late 19th century. Modern Othello is usually credited to Goro Hasegawa of Japan in the early 1970s, who fixed the starting position and refined the rules.
The name is said to come from Shakespeare’s play Othello, a story of trust and doubt pulling in opposite directions, much like the black and white discs. The game then spread around the world and now has international tournaments of its own.
What makes this version different
Ready when you are
No account and no install. The board is already set up when the page opens.
Four difficulty levels
Easy, Medium, Hard and Legend. Legend searches as deep as time allows and works the endgame out exactly.
Play either color
Choose Black (first) or White (second). If you pick White, the computer opens.
Best move and undo
Stuck? Ask for the best move. Made a slip? Take a move back.
Resume and records
Your game is saved automatically and picks up where you left off. Your record is kept per level.
Install it, play offline
Add it to your home screen to open it like an app. It keeps working without a connection.
Fits any screen
Phone, tablet or desktop, the board scales to the space you have.
Make it yours
Light or dark theme, coordinates, sound effects and animations can all be changed in Settings.
Frequently asked questions
Are Othello and Reversi the same game?
The core rules are the same. In Othello the first four discs are placed in a fixed pattern, while in original Reversi players place them freely. Tournaments and online play almost always use the Othello setup.
Is it really free?
Yes, from start to finish. No account, no payment, no ads to sit through.
Can I play without internet?
After your first visit the browser keeps a copy of the game, so it opens offline. Both the computer opponent and two-player mode work without a connection.
How do I install it as an app?
In Chrome or Edge an install button appears at the top of the page. On iPhone, open Safari, tap the Share button and choose Add to Home Screen.
What happens if I have no legal move?
The turn passes to your opponent automatically and a message tells you. If neither side can move, the game ends.
How do the difficulty levels differ?
Easy only looks at the next move and sometimes slips. Medium looks three moves ahead. Hard reads about six moves in roughly a second. Hard and Legend also play out the final moves exactly once few squares remain.
What makes Legend mode special?
It is the strongest level. Within its thinking time it searches as deep as it can, and once around a dozen squares remain it calculates the game to the end. You can choose 1.5, 3 or 6 seconds in Settings, and more time means a stronger opponent. It still is not guaranteed to win.
Can I play as White?
Yes. Open Settings and choose White under I play as. The computer then moves first.
Do you collect my data?
There are no accounts, no cookies and no analytics scripts. Your settings, record and the game in progress are stored only in your own browser.