Rules of the game Othello
Othello is a strategy game for two players: Black and White. It is played on a blackboard board 64 squares, 8 of 8, called othellier. These players have 64 pieces bicolor black on one side and white on the other. For convenience, each player has 32 pieces in front of him but they did not belong to him and he must give his opponent if he did more. A pawn is black if the black and white face is visible if the white side is on top.Aim of the game
Have more pieces of his color the opponent at the end of the game. It ends when neither player can not play a legal move. This usually occurs when the 64 squares are occupied.
Starting position.
At the beginning of the game, two black pawns are placed on e4 and d5 and two white pawns are placed on d4 and e5 (see Figure 1).
            fig. 1: starting position |
Black always starts and then play two opponents turn. |
Laying a pawn.
In his turn, the player must place a piece of color on an empty box of othellier adjacent to an opponent\x26#39;s piece. It shall also, by asking his pawn, mentor one or more opponent\x26#39;s pieces between the pin and it poses a pawn in color, already placed on othellier. He then returned to its color or the pawns he has framed. The pins are not removed from the othellier or moved from one box to another.
The first shot is Black, for example, f5 (see Figure 2). Playing f5, it frames the white pawn e5 pawn between posed and a black pawn already present (here d5); it then returns this pin (see Figure 3). Black could also have play e6, c4 or d3. Note that these four shots Black are perfectly symmetrical; Black does not have to think to choose his first shot.
fig. 2: Black plays ... f5 |
fig. 3 and returns e5! |
Now it is White to play. It has three possible moves (see Figure 4). Indeed, it is obligatory to return at least one opponent\x26#39;s piece every time. White can play f4, f6 or d6.
 fig. 4: White f4, f6 or d6 |
fig. 5: if White plays d6 |
Can supervise enemy pieces in the eight directions. Moreover, in each direction, several pieces can be framed (see Figures 6 and 7). It must then return all.
fig. 6: Black plays ... c6 |
fig. 7 and the result |
Black player has played c6. He then returns the b6 pawn (Box through a6), b5 (Box through a4), d7 (Box with e8), and c4 c5 (framed through c3). Note that neither d6, e6 or are returned because the empty box f6. There is no chain reaction tokens returned can not be used to return other in the same game turn Thus, in Figure 8, Black plays a5:
fig. 8: Black plays ... a5 |
fig. 9: c4 remains White |
Black returns b5 and c5 which are boxed. Although c4 is then framed, it is not returned (see Figure 9). Indeed, it is not enclosed between the pin that you just asked and another pawn. If, in your turn, you can not ask a pawn turning an opponent\x26#39;s piece following the rules, you must pass your turn and your opponent is playing. But if a reversal is possible, you can not avoid it.
End of the game.
The game is over when neither player can not play. This typically happens when the 64 squares are occupied. But it may remain empty boxes where nobody can play: for example, when all the pieces of the same color become after a rollover. Or as in this position (see Figure 10).
fig. 10: The game is over! |
Neither player can not play b1 since no reversal is possible. There are pawns to determine the score. Empty cells are given to the winner. Here White has 29 pieces, Black 34 and there is an empty box. So Black wins 35-29. |
Source: Wikipedia.
