How to play Anti Reversi

The aim turned round: the player with fewer discs at the end wins.

About Anti Reversi

Anti Reversi is played on the 8x8 board of Reversi, with the same start, moves and passes.

The player with fewer discs at the end wins, and the discs are counted as they stand, with no empty squares added.

The goal of Reversi

Reversi is played by two players, Black and White, with discs that are black on one side and white on the other. Each move traps a line of your opponent's discs between two of yours and turns them over to your colour. When the game ends, the player with the most discs of their colour wins, or in Anti Reversi the player with the fewest. Here you play against a computer player, or against another person at an online table.

How to set up Reversi

Reversi and Anti Reversi are played on an 8x8 board, and Reversi 6x6 on a 6x6 board. The game starts with four discs on the four centre squares, two of each colour set diagonally, with Black on d5 and e4 on the 8x8 board.

Black moves first. The colours are drawn by lot at the start of each game, so you may play either. There is no limit to the number of discs each player may place.

Reversi rules

On your turn you place one disc of your colour on an empty square so that it traps at least one straight line of your opponent's discs between the new disc and another of yours, across, down or diagonally, with no gap in the line.

Every trapped disc in every direction is turned over to your colour, and only those. A disc turned over by a move does not turn any further discs, and a placed disc never moves.

If you have no move that traps a disc, you pass and your opponent moves again. You may not pass while you have a legal move, and a pass is made for you.

The game ends when neither player can move, either because the board is full or because no move is left for either side.

The full Reversi guide, with strategy tips and common questions