Learn Othello: Free Interactive Strategy Lessons
Every lesson here is played on the same board you play matches on. You read a few lines, make the move, and the board tells you whether it worked. New to Othello? Start with the rules. If you already play, the strategy lessons show why the move that flips the most discs is so often the wrong one.
- 7 lessons
- 18 min
- Free, no sign-up
Unit 1
The rules
The starting position, outflanking and flipping, flipping on several lines at once, corners and passing, in five steps.
Unit 2
Strategy
Six ideas strong players use every game: take corners, keep away from the squares beside them, leave your opponent few moves, use the edges, play quiet moves, and get the last move at the end. Every position arises in a game played from the start.
Othello Corners: Why They Can Never Be Flipped
A disc in a corner can never be flipped, and it protects the edge beside it. Learn why corners beat flipping more discs, on a live Othello board.X-Squares and C-Squares in Othello
The squares beside an empty corner hand it to your opponent. Learn which they are, the X-squares and C-squares, and when they are safe, on a live board.Mobility in Othello: Leave Your Opponent Few Moves
In Othello, the number of moves you have matters more than your disc count. Learn mobility: pick the move that leaves your opponent fewest replies.Edges in Othello: Discs That Are Hard to Flip
A disc on the edge of the Othello board can only be flipped along the edge. Learn why edge discs are safer, and how to pick a safe edge square.Frontier Discs and Quiet Moves in Othello
Discs that border empty squares give your opponent places to move. Learn frontier discs and quiet moves, the flips that keep your opponent short of moves.Parity in the Othello Endgame: Get the Last Move
At the end of an Othello game, the last move in each region often decides it. Learn parity: play into regions with an odd number of empty squares.