This text is the electronic equivalent of a booklet created and
distributed by Emmanuel Lazard and the French Othello Federation
(F.F.O.). This copy is distributed with the authorization of Emmanuel and
the F.F.O. The printed version of this booklet (with nice round discs)
is available from the F.F.O. for 20 French Francs (shipping included)
by check payable to the F.F.O.
FEDERATION FRANCAISE
D'OTHELLO, BP 383, 75626 Paris Cedex 13, (1) 45 35 55 86
(C) Emmanuel Lazard (and the entire F.F.O. team) March 1993
Translated from French into English by Colin Springer with the permission
of the author. This text may not be further distributed without the explicit
agreement of the author.
OTHELLO (r) : THE RULES OF THE GAME
Othello is a strategy game played by two players: Black and White. It
is played on an 8x8 board (usually Green in colour), called the Othello
board. The two players place 64 discs, each of which is black on one side
and white on the other. For convenience, each player begins with 32 discs
but these do not belong to him and if his opponent runs out of discs, he
is obliged to give him some. A disc is black if the black side is
visible and white if the white face is on top.
The Goal
The winner is the player who has more discs of his colour than his opponent
at the end of the game. This will happen when neither of the two players
has a legal move. Generally at this stage all 64 squares are occupied.
Starting Position
At the beginning of the game, two black discs are placed on e4 and d5 and
two white discs on d4 and e5 (see fig. 1).
A B C D E F G H
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | | | | O | * | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 | | | | * | O | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Figure 1 : the Initial Position
Black always begins, and the two players subsequently take turns moving.
Making a Move
At his turn, a player must place a disc of his colour on one of the empty
squares of the othello board, adjacent to an opponent's disc. In addition,
by placing his disc, he must flank one or several of his opponent's discs
between the disc played and another disc of his own colour already on the
board. He then flips to his colour all the discs which were flanked. The
discs are neither removed from the Othello board nor moved from one square
to another.
A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | | | | O | * | | | | 4 | | | | O | * | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 | | | | * | O | * | | | 5 | | | | * | * | * | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | | | | | | | | | 6 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 | | | | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Fig. 2 : Black plays f5 ... Fig. 3 : and flips e5 !
Black's first move may be, for example, to f5 (see figure 2). By playing
f5, he flanks the white disc at e5 between the disc played and another
black disc already on the board (here d5) ; he then flips this disc (see
figure 3). Black could also have moved to e6, c4 or d3. However, these
four black moves are perfectly symmetrical ; black needn't spend time
thinking about his first move.
A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | | | | O | * | . | | | 4 | | | | O | * | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 | | | | * | * | * | | | 5 | | | | O | * | * | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | | | | . | | . | | | 6 | | | | O | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 | | | | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Fig. 4 : White f4, f6 or d6 Fig. 5 : if white plays d6.
Now it's white's turn to move. He has three possible moves (see figure
4). Each possible move flips at least one opponent's disc. White may
play f4, f6 or d6. Note that discs can be flanked in all eight directions.
Furthermore, in each direction several discs may be flanked (see figures
6 and 7). All these flanked discs must be flipped.
A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | | | * | * | | | | | 1 | | | * | * | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | | | | * | O | * | | | 2 | | | | * | O | * | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 | | O | * | * | O | O | O | * | 3 | | O | * | * | O | O | O | * |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | * | * | O | O | O | * | O | O | 4 | * | * | * | O | O | * | O | O |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 | * | O | O | O | * | * | * | O | 5 | * | * | * | O | * | * | * | O |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | * | O | . | O | O | | O | * | 6 | * | * | * | O | O | | O | * |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 | | | | O | * | | | | 7 | | | | * | * | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | | | | | * | | | | 8 | | | | | * | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Fig. 6 : Black plays c6 ... Fig. 7 : resulting in this position.
Black has played to c6. He turns the discs at b6 (flanked by the disc at
a6), b5 (flanked by a4), d7 (flanked by e8), c5 and c4 (flanked by c3). Note
that neither d6 nor e6 are flipped due to the empty square at f6.
There is no chain reaction : flipped discs may not be used to flip other discs
on the same move. Thus, in figure 8, black moves to a5 :
A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 | | | * | | O | | | | 3 | | | * | | O | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | | | O | O | *