The fastest way to improve at Reversi as a beginner is to master two things: always take corners when available, and never give your opponent corner access by playing X-squares. Everything else builds on these two foundations. Here are 10 tips that will make an immediate difference in your games. Once you’ve absorbed these, move on to the full strategy guide.
Tip 1: Corners Are the Most Valuable Squares
Corners — the four squares at a1, a8, h1, and h8 — are uniquely powerful because a disc placed on a corner can never be flipped. Every other square on the board can be bracketed and flipped under the right conditions. Corners cannot. For a deeper explanation of why, see the corner strategy guide.
When a corner is available, take it immediately. Almost no other consideration outweighs a corner. A player who controls more corners almost always wins the game.
Remember: Corners also anchor the edges adjacent to them. Once you have a corner, the discs you play along the edge connecting to it become permanent too. One corner often leads to an entire stable edge.
Tip 2: Never Play X-Squares Against an Empty Corner
The X-squares are the four diagonal squares adjacent to each corner: b2, b7, g2, and g7. Playing on an X-square when the adjacent corner is empty is one of the costliest beginner mistakes.
Why? Because it creates a path your opponent can use to take the adjacent corner. If you play b2 and the a1 corner is still empty, your opponent may be able to play a1 and bracket your b2 disc along the diagonal — winning the corner permanently.
The rule: Before playing any move, check if it’s an X-square with an empty adjacent corner. If it is, find a different move.
Tip 3: Fewer Discs Early Is Better
This is the most counterintuitive Reversi principle: in the opening and midgame, having fewer discs is an advantage. Once you’ve applied these beginner tips consistently, read how to get better at Reversi for the next level of improvement.
Fewer discs means:
- Fewer of your discs border empty squares (fewer “frontier” discs)
- Your opponent has fewer moves they can make around your pieces
- You have more flexibility and more potential moves available
Beginners instinctively flip every disc they can. Experienced players flip the minimum required to make a legal move. When multiple legal moves are available, prefer the one that flips fewer discs, all else being equal.
Tip 4: Count Your Available Moves (Mobility)
Mobility is the number of legal moves you have on your turn. High mobility gives you choices and flexibility. Low mobility forces you into bad moves.
After each of your turns, quickly estimate:
- How many moves do I have next turn?
- How many moves does my opponent have on their next turn?
If you consistently have more moves than your opponent, you’re in a strong position. If you’re dropping to 2–3 moves while your opponent has 8+, your position is in danger.
A player forced to pass (zero legal moves) gives their opponent two consecutive turns — a massive gift. Try to never be forced to pass in the first 40 moves.
Tip 5: Stay Near the Centre Early
For the first 8–10 moves, keep your discs near the centre of the board. Central discs:
- Don’t commit you to any edge or corner before the position is clear
- Maintain maximum flexibility in all directions
- Are less likely to be used by your opponent to build edge control
As the game develops and corners become contestable (around move 15–20), you can start thinking about edge and corner plays. But rushing to the edges in the first 5–6 moves is almost always a mistake.
Tip 6: Be Careful With C-Squares
C-squares are the edge squares directly adjacent to corners: a2, b1, a7, b8, g1, h2, g8, and h7. They’re not as dangerous as X-squares, but they still require caution.
Playing a C-square can give your opponent:
- Direct access to place a disc that brackets into the adjacent corner
- An edge start that eventually connects to the corner
C-squares are safe to play when:
- The adjacent corner is already taken (by either player)
- You can take the corner immediately after playing the C-square
- It’s late in the game and you’ve calculated the endgame
Otherwise, treat C-squares with the same suspicion as X-squares.
Tip 7: Try to Give Your Opponent Bad Moves
One of the most powerful advanced-beginner concepts is choosing moves that leave your opponent with only bad options. If every move your opponent can make either:
- Gives you a corner, or
- Reduces their own mobility, or
- Creates more frontier discs for them
…then you’re controlling the game even if you don’t have the most discs.
Look for moves that restrict your opponent’s options. A move that gives you 5 good responses and your opponent only 2 poor ones is often better than a move that technically scores a higher square on the board.
Tip 8: Don’t Panic When You’re Behind on Discs
New players often panic when they have fewer discs than their opponent in the middle of the game. Don’t — having fewer discs in the midgame is often a sign you’re playing correctly.
The disc count that matters is at the end, after move 60 (or whenever the game ends). A player with 12 discs at move 30 who has good corner access and high mobility will very likely finish with 40+ discs.
Only start worrying about your disc count in the last 15–20 moves of the game. Before that, focus on corners, mobility, and position.
Tip 9: Watch for Forced Passes
You can win significant advantages by forcing your opponent to pass. When your opponent passes:
- You get two moves in a row
- The board position can shift dramatically in your favour
- Your opponent is forced out of whatever plan they had
How to force a pass: reduce your opponent’s legal moves systematically. If you can play moves that don’t give your opponent new moves while taking away old ones, you’ll eventually compress them to zero — forcing a pass.
This technique is advanced but worth watching for from your first games. Even without executing it deliberately, be aware: if you suddenly have no legal moves, your opponent has been doing something right.
Tip 10: Analyse Your Games Afterward
The fastest improvement comes from reviewing your losses and asking one question: at what move did I lose control?
Usually there’s a specific moment — you played an X-square, or you gave your opponent a corner, or you let your mobility drop to 1 — where the game swung decisively. Identifying that moment teaches you more than any amount of theory.
If you’re playing against the AI on Reversi Pro, try replaying the game and experimenting with different moves at the critical point. This kind of deliberate practice accelerates improvement dramatically.
Quick Reference: The Beginner’s Checklist
Before every move, run through this checklist:
- ✅ Is a corner available? Take it.
- ❌ Is this move an X-square with an empty adjacent corner? Don’t play it.
- ⚠️ Is this move a C-square? Only play if corner is already taken or guaranteed next.
- 📊 How many moves will I have after this? Prefer moves that keep your options open.
- 🔢 How many discs will I flip? Among otherwise equal moves, flip fewer.
Follow this checklist for every game and you’ll be a noticeably stronger player within a week.