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British Origins
Othello has its origins in 19th Century Britain.
Two Englishmen Lewis Waterman and John W. Mollett both claim to have invented the game in 1883, each denouncing the other as a fraud. The game gained considerable popularity in Britain at the end of the nineteenth century.
The game had a few distinct differences to the modern game most notably its name being 'Reversi' but additionally the rules differed in that the starting position was not fixed and each players only had 32 pieces at his disposal, rather than there being a shared pool of pieces.
Big in Japan
Its not until the Japanese got a hold of the game that it really took off.
Its not until the Japanese got a hold of the game that it really took off.
It was patented in Japan in 1971 by Goro Hasegawa.
It was patented in Japan in 1971 by Goro Hasegawa.
Hasegawa's How to play Othello was published in Japan in 1974, and an English translation entitled How to Win at Othello published in 1977. However don't be fooled by it's title, it's now widely regarded that the best use for this book is to give it to your opponent!
Hasegawa's How to play Othello was published in Japan in 1974, and an English translation entitled How to Win at Othello published in 1977. However don't be fooled by it's title, it's now widely regarded that the best use for this book is to give it to your opponent!
Japan has remained the homeland of Othello and enjoys more popularity there than in any other country. Japan seems to boast MOST of the worlds top players and its players consistently top the World Rankings.
Japan has remained the homeland of Othello and enjoys more popularity there than in any other country. Japan seems to boast MOST of the worlds top players and its players consistently top the World Rankings.
World Championships
Othello has one of the most consistently run World Championships of any mind sport.
Apart from 2020 and 2021 due to the corona virus pandemic, Othello has held a World Championship tournament every year since 1977 in a country elected by the World Federation. Britain has had this honour in 1980, 1993, 2004 and 2015.
The Japanese tend to dominate the World Championships titles, having won more individual and team titles than any other nation by far.
Britain has never managed to obtain this illustrious prize but we have managed the runners up spot and team title five times! We won't mention this hasnt been achieved since 1997!
Online Popularity
Othello is played online by thousands globally every day but you might not realise it! Othello has grappled with an identity problem centred around its name thanks to the internet. Is it Othello or is it Reversi?
There are many sites that you can find Othello/Reversi to play on and we've made some recommendations under the resources section of this site.
The internet (and computers in general) have spawned a new breed of elite players who are better prepared and have greater intuition due to the time limits imposed in online blitz games.
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