Othello

Two-player board game on an 8×8 grid — flip your opponent's discs by trapping them between your colour. "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master."

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Othello?

Othello is a two-player board game on an 8 × 8 grid, developed as a modern trademark of the older game Reversi by Japanese salesman Goro Hasegawa in 1971. Players place black or white discs; any opponent's discs trapped between two of yours flip to your colour. Its famous marketing slogan — "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master" — has held up: the World Othello Championship runs annually since 1977.

Quick facts

Category

Mind Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇯🇵 Japan

Estimated origin

1971, Goro Hasegawa, Japan (a modern trademark of the 1880s game Reversi)

Olympic

No

Popularity

major

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified