Othello, also known as Reversi, is a classic board game. Although there is no formal proof of the game's origin, two places have been suggested from its invention. One is China, from a game called 'Fan Mian', the other is from Lewis Waterman and John W. Mollett in 1888, who made this game available. In about 1970, Goro Hasegawa, a Japanese developed the modern rules of Othello, and they are now formally adopted around the world. The rules of Othello are much simpler than many other board games. However, easy to learn doesn't mean easy to play well. That comes from a good saying, 'one minute to learn, but a lifetime to master'!

Each Othello checker is black on one side and white on the other. Black plays first and places a checker, black side uppermost, on any square on the board such that he 'sandwiches' at least one of his opponents pieces between the checker he has just placed and any other of his colour already on the board. Play continues alternately... First black, then white. If at any time a player does not have a legal move i.e. there is nowhere he can play that flips one of his opponent's checkers, he must pass and his opponent plays again. It is possible to pass several times in succession. When neither player has a legal move (usually when the board is full but not always) the game ends. The winner is the player with the most pieces of his colour showing.