What happens if you can’t move in Reversi?
If you have no legal move, your turn passes and your opponent plays again. You can’t pass by choice: whenever you have a legal move, you must make one.
A move is only legal if it flips at least one of your opponent’s discs. Sometimes no empty square does that for you. When that happens, your turn passes automatically and your opponent moves again.
How passing works
- It’s automatic. You don’t press anything; the game simply hands the turn back to your opponent.
- It can happen several times in a row. Your opponent keeps moving until you have a legal move again.
- You can’t pass voluntarily. If even one legal move exists, you must play, even when every option is bad for you.
When nobody can move
If neither player has a legal move, the game is over, even if empty squares remain. The discs are counted and the bigger total wins. See when a game of Reversi ends.
Forcing your opponent to pass is a strong strategic goal: two moves in a row can win a whole region of the board. The Reversi strategy guide explains how mobility makes that happen.
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.