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Reversi
Game
Description:
The game was
invented by the Englishman, Louis Wasserman, in 1888.
This game, also
known as Othello, is a favorite strategic game with many
changes in the
course of play. The rules are simple, but every move can
change the entire situation of the game!
Reversi and Othello are
names for an abstract strategy board game which involves play by two
parties on an eight-by-eight square grid with pieces that have two
distinct sides. Pieces typically appear coin-like, but with a light and
a dark face, each side representing one player. The object of the game
is to make your pieces constitute a majority of the pieces on the board
at the end of the game, by turning over as many of your opponent's
pieces as possible.
Origins:
The modern version of the
game is based on the game Reversi that was invented around 1880
by two Englishmen, Lewis Waterman and John W. Mollett, and gained
considerable popularity in England at the end of the 19th century. The
game is mentioned in an 1895 article in the New York Times: "Reversi
is something like Go Bang, and is played with 64 pieces."[1]
In 1898, the well-known German games publisher Ravensburger started
producing the game as one of its first titles.
The modern rule set, now universally accepted, originated in Mito,
Ibaraki, Japan in the 1970s; the game was renamed Othello, and
was registered as a trademark by the Japanese game company Tsukuda
Original. The name is a reference to the Shakespearean play Othello,
the Moor of Venice, referencing the conflict between the Moor
Othello and Iago, who describes himself as "two faced" (or more
controversially, to the marriage between Othello, who is black, and
Desdemona, who is white, recalling the coloring of the game pieces). It
can also be likened to a jealousy competition (jealousy being the
central theme in Shakespeare's play) since players engulf the pieces of
the opponent, thereby turning them their possession.
Strategy:
A beginner often looks for
the move that will reverse the greatest possible number of pieces,
trying for immediate numerical advantage. For unsophisticated players,
this strategy works quite well and will win a majority of games as long
as the player thinks at least a few turns in advance. Against extremely
experienced players, however; this strategy has been shown to only win
about 45% of games.
While it is possible to achieve complete dominance early and capture all
the tiles, it is extremely unlikely. Instead of numerical advantage, the
key elements of successful Othello strategy are corners, mobility, edge
play, parity, endgame play, and looking ahead.
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversi:
Contents:
1 plastic game
board with 64 recessed squares
1 64 double-sided plastic tiles (red on one side, white on the
other)
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