How do you flip discs in Reversi?
Place a disc so a line of opposing discs sits between it and another of your discs. Every disc in every such line flips: across, up and down, or diagonally.
Flipping is the heart of Reversi. When you place a disc, look outward from it in all eight directions. Any unbroken line of your opponent’s discs that ends in one of your own discs is “outflanked”, and every disc in that line turns to your colour.
The rules of a flip
- The line must be unbroken. An empty square anywhere in the line means nothing flips in that direction.
- It must end in your colour. A line of opposing discs that runs to the edge of the board, or into an empty square, doesn’t flip.
- All directions count at once. One move can flip lines horizontally, vertically and diagonally at the same time, and all of them flip.
- No chain reactions. Only lines that run from the disc you just placed flip. Discs that change colour don’t go on to flip others.
- Every move must flip something. A square that flips nothing isn’t a legal move. If you have no such square, your turn passes.
Discs keep changing hands
A flipped disc isn’t safe. It can be flipped back on a later move, and back again, many times in a game. Only a disc that no line can ever outflank is permanent, and the corners are the clearest example: nothing can sit beyond a corner. That’s why the strategy guide starts with corners.
For practical play beyond this rule, read Reversi Strategy: Corners and Mobility.
Play Reversi free →Invite a friend or practice with the computer. No sign-up.