Reversi has a rich body of named opening theory built up over decades of competitive play. The most important openings — Rose, Shaman, Tiger, Heath, and others — are defined by the move sequences in the first 5–10 turns. Understanding opening names helps you study and discuss specific lines, build an opening repertoire, and recognise positions that arise from common sequences.
How Reversi Opening Theory Works
Unlike chess, where the piece variety creates enormous opening complexity, Reversi’s simpler structure means opening theory focuses on a more limited set of key positions and responses. However, Reversi opening theory is still rich — the branching factor of ~10 moves per position means positions diverge quickly after the first few moves.
The First Move
Black always moves first. Due to the starting position’s rotational symmetry, all four of Black’s possible first moves (d3, c4, f5, e6) lead to equivalent positions — just rotated or reflected. The conventional notation assigns these as equivalent, so the first meaningful choice happens on move 2, when White responds to Black’s opening disc.
The Second Move: Setting the Opening Name
White’s response to Black’s first move (conventionally noted as d3) determines the opening family:
- d3 + c3 = one opening family
- d3 + c5 = another family
- d3 + e3 = another family
- etc.
The combination of Black’s first move and White’s response is the “root” from which named openings branch.
Major Named Openings
The following openings are among the most well-known in competitive Othello. Move sequences are written in standard notation (column letter + row number, e.g. d3).
The Rose
The Rose is one of the most popular openings at competitive level. It arises from a specific early move sequence where play develops symmetrically and leads to rich, balanced positions. The Rose has been analysed deeply and has numerous sub-variations, each with its own name.
The Rose family of openings is favoured by many top players because it leads to positions with high complexity — both sides have genuine chances, and the outcome depends on specific knowledge of the lines.
The Shaman
The Shaman is another major named opening arising from a different White response to Black’s first move. It tends to lead to asymmetric positions where one side gains early edge presence in exchange for the opponent gaining better interior control.
The Shaman has been extensively studied at the top competitive level and has known “best play” sequences that have been verified by computer analysis.
The Tiger
The Tiger opening arises from aggressive early play that contests specific zones of the board. Tiger positions are typically more tactical than strategic in the opening phase — both sides must calculate accurately or risk falling into losing lines quickly.
The Tiger has a reputation for creating sharp, double-edged positions where an error early leads to rapid deterioration.
The Heath
Named after early Othello theorists, the Heath opening leads to positions where mobility is the central battleground from move 10 onward. Heath lines are characterised by one side having excellent mobility but fewer edge presences, while the other has early edge influence but is more constrained.
Other Named Openings
The broader Othello opening catalogue includes dozens of named lines:
- Bat — an opening featuring specific diagonal development
- Elephant — characterised by early pressure toward one corner
- Snake — a winding sequence with specific tactical themes
- Cow — solid, positionally-oriented development
- Chimney — aggressive edge-claiming sequence
- Buffalo — a cross between tactically sharp and positionally solid lines
Each of these has sub-variations that have been analysed by computer and studied by competitive players. The naming conventions vary slightly between English and Japanese competitive communities.
Opening Principles (When Theory Ends)
Named opening theory eventually runs out — beyond 10–15 moves, the number of variations becomes too large for complete pre-memorisation. At that point, general opening principles guide play:
1. Maximise Mobility
The most important opening principle: keep your move count high and your opponent’s low. Avoid moves that dramatically reduce your own legal options. Mobility is the dominant metric in the early game.
2. Avoid X-Squares
Never play b2, g2, b7, or g7 in the opening unless it immediately wins you the adjacent corner. These squares give your opponent direct corner access.
3. Limit Opponent’s Corner Access
Avoid creating positions where your opponent can guarantee taking a corner on their next move. This means being careful with C-squares (the edge squares adjacent to corners) and always checking if a move you’re considering opens a corner opportunity.
4. Interior Before Edge
In most opening lines, playing interior moves that maintain flexibility is better than rushing to the edges. Edge squares adjacent to corners are particularly dangerous to take before the corner situation is established.
5. Count Your Opponent’s Moves
After every candidate move you consider, count how many legal moves your opponent will have. Prefer moves that leave the opponent with fewer options.
Building an Opening Repertoire
Competitive players develop a personal opening repertoire — a set of openings they have studied in depth and are comfortable playing with both colours.
As Black
Black has limited genuine choice (all first moves are equivalent), so Black’s repertoire is really about responses to White’s second move. Study 2–3 variations that arise from the most common White responses.
As White
White makes the first genuine strategic choice on move 2. Build a repertoire of responses to Black’s opening move — know your preferred response and have studied lines 8–12 moves deep in those variations.
How Deep to Study
For beginners and intermediates: knowing the names of major openings and the first 5–6 moves of each is sufficient to avoid opening disasters.
For serious competitive players: study 10–15 moves deep in your chosen openings, using computer analysis to verify the best responses to your moves. Programs like Saio and WZebra are the standard tools for this.
Opening Resources
Computer programs:
- Saio and WZebra — analyse specific positions and show the computer’s evaluation of each legal move; invaluable for opening study
- Edax — open-source strong Reversi engine, good for position analysis
Online databases:
- eOthello.net — includes game records from competitive play; studying how top players handle your chosen openings is highly instructive
- World Othello Federation records — championship-level games in notation format
Online play:
- Playing on Reversi Pro against the AI at various difficulty levels lets you test opening ideas and see how they develop in practice
Why Opening Names Matter
Even if you don’t memorise specific opening lines, knowing the names gives you:
- A common vocabulary to discuss positions with other players (“let’s look at that Tiger position from your last game”)
- Database access — searching for “Rose opening” in game databases returns relevant games to study
- Opening identity — knowing which opening you’re in tells you something about the character of the middlegame to come
- Direction — if you know a position is a Shaman line, you know the general strategic themes to focus on
Think of opening names as chapter headings in the book of Reversi theory — they help you navigate and communicate, even before you know the chapter contents in detail. Once you know the names and key lines, use Reversi game notation to record and study games, and opening strategy principles to understand the why behind each move.