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  • Lesson 2 of 7
  • Strategy
  • 3 min

Othello Corners: Why They Can Never Be Flipped

Ask any strong Othello player for one piece of advice, and most will say: take the corners. This lesson shows why, and why a corner is worth more than a move that flips many discs.

Step 1 of 4

  1. Nothing can trap a corner

    Black has just played a8. A disc is flipped only when it is trapped in a line between two enemy discs. Follow the three lines through a8, along the arrows: each one starts at a8, so there is no square beyond it for a white disc to stand on. A corner disc can never be flipped. It is yours for the rest of the game.

  2. Take the corner

    The corner h1 is free. It flips only two discs, f1 and g1. The move that flips the most, c7, turns over five.

    Your move

    Make the move a strong player would make.

  3. The corner protects the edge

    You have just taken h1. Which of these black discs can White never flip?

    Question

  4. Behind on discs

    You have 9 discs and White has 31. The move that flips the most, g2, turns over six. Disc counts in the middle of the game change with every move. A corner doesn't.

    Your move

    Find the best move.

What you learned

  • A disc in a corner can never be flipped: every line through it starts at the corner.
  • Edge discs next to your corner, in an unbroken row, are safe too.
  • In the middle of the game, a corner is worth more than a move that flips many discs.

In this course

Unit 1The rules

  1. Othello Rules: Place, Outflank and Flip

Unit 2Strategy

  1. Othello Corners: Why They Can Never Be Flipped
  2. X-Squares and C-Squares in Othello
  3. Mobility in Othello: Leave Your Opponent Few Moves
  4. Edges in Othello: Discs That Are Hard to Flip
  5. Frontier Discs and Quiet Moves in Othello
  6. Parity in the Othello Endgame: Get the Last Move

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