Duels

Reversi online: trap their discs and flip the board

Place a disc so a line of your friend’s discs is trapped between two of yours, and the whole line flips to your colour. The board can turn around in a single move. Send one link and play, no app, no account.

2 players
About 8 min
Watchable live
Free, no sign-up

A green Reversi board with red and yellow discs, one disc halfway through flipping over

The classic flipping game, played over a link

Reversi is more than a hundred years old and still one of the great board games for two. Many people know it by the name of the boxed edition, Othello. The rules take a minute: you place a disc, and every line of your friend’s discs that ends at another of yours flips to your colour. Mastering it takes a lifetime, because the lead changes all the time and the corners decide almost everything.

On BeatMe you play it against someone you know. Start a game, send the link in any chat, and play live or one move at a time. The squares you can play are marked with a dot, the discs flip by themselves, and the server checks every move, so nobody can cheat.

How to play Reversi

Start in the middle

The game begins with four discs in the centre, two of each colour. Whoever you picked to start makes the first move.

Trap a line

Place a disc so that one or more straight lines of your friend’s discs (across, down or diagonal) lie between it and another of your discs. A move must trap at least one disc.

Flip them

Every trapped disc flips to your colour. One move can flip lines in several directions at once. If you have no move, you pass and your friend plays again.

Own the board

When the board is full or nobody can move, the game is over. Whoever has more discs wins. Rematch on the same link.

The rules in short

Board: 8×8 for the classic game, or 6×6 for a quick one of about five minutes.
A move must flip at least one disc. The squares you can play are marked with a dot.
Flips go in all eight directions: across, down and both diagonals. Only discs between your new disc and another of yours flip.
No move? You pass automatically, and your friend plays again.
The end: when the board is full or neither player can move. More discs win; the same number is a draw.

How to win at Reversi

Take the corners. A disc in a corner can never be flipped, and it anchors the edges next to it. That is also why the squares right next to an empty corner are dangerous: playing there often hands the corner to your friend.

Don’t grab too many discs early. Having fewer discs in the middle of the game usually means you have more choices later, while your friend runs out of good moves. The real count only matters at the very end, and the last few moves can flip the whole board.

A fair game on every move

Every move is checked on our server: only squares that trap at least one disc are allowed, the flips are worked out there, and a player without a move passes automatically. The replay shows every move afterwards, so you can see exactly where the game turned.

Reversi FAQ

Can I play Reversi online with a friend for free?

Yes. Start a game on this page and send the link. Your friend taps it and plays in the browser, with no app, no account and no cost.

Is Reversi the same as Othello?

Othello is a boxed edition of Reversi with the same idea and a fixed starting position, which we use too. Othello is a trademark of its owner, and BeatMe isn’t affiliated with it.

What happens if I can’t move?

If no square traps a disc of your friend’s, you pass automatically and your friend plays again. When neither of you can move, the game is over.

Who goes first in Reversi?

You choose when you start the game: you, or your friend. In a rematch on the same link the other player begins.

How long does a game of Reversi take?

About eight minutes live on the classic 8×8 board, and five on 6×6. You can also play one move at a time: the link stays open for 48 hours after the last move.