How to Win at Reversi: Corners, Edges & Mobility

Reversi is simple to learn, but the player with more discs early on often loses. Discs flip back and forth all game, and only some positions are truly safe. Against the computer on Hard you need a plan. This guide explains corners, dangerous squares, mobility and how to finish strongly when the board fills up.

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Corners are king

A disc in a corner can never be flipped, and it becomes an anchor for stable discs along both edges. Grab a corner whenever you can do so safely. Many strong moves earlier in the game are simply ones that make a corner available to you, or keep one away from your opponent. Count how many corners each player could reach in the next move or two.

Avoid the squares beside empty corners

The square diagonally next to an empty corner is the most dangerous square on the board, because it often lets your opponent take the corner. The two squares beside the corner along the edges are risky too. Leave all three alone while the corner is empty, unless you can see it will not give the corner away.

Fewer discs, more moves

In the opening and middle game, the number of moves you have matters more than the number of discs. Play quiet moves that flip few discs, especially discs on the inside of the board. This leaves your opponent with fewer options, and eventually they may have to play into a bad square. A wall of your discs on the outside usually helps your rival.

Edges need care

Edge discs are harder to flip than inside discs, but not safe until they connect to a corner. Taking an edge square can open a sequence that ends with your opponent claiming the corner. Before playing on an edge, check what your opponent could do on the same edge next turn. An edge is safest when your discs run unbroken from a corner you already own.

Finish strong

In the last moves, the count of discs is all that matters, and moves become forced. Try to make the final move in each empty region of the board, which often lets you flip many discs that cannot be flipped back. If you have no legal move, you pass, so leaving your opponent without moves is a powerful weapon at the end.

Questions

Who moves first?

Dark always moves first. In a game against the computer you play dark.

Can I see which discs a move will flip?

Yes. On a computer, hover the mouse over a legal square and the discs that would flip are highlighted.

Can I undo a move?

Yes. The Undo button takes back moves, which helps you learn why a move lost a corner.

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