Strategie voor Othello

Als je net begint met Othello, is het een goed idee om een paar spelletjes te spelen om vertrouwd te raken met de regels en het spelverloop. Dit kan je helpen om beter te begrijpen hoe je strategieën kunt gebruiken om je tegenstander te verslaan.

Learning the rules of Othello is easy. You can pick them up in just a minute. But truly mastering the game? That might take a lifetime.

Let’s go over some principles and ideas that will help you win games.

Othello is a game of skill. Luck doesn’t play a big role and rarely determines the outcome of a game. The player who consistently applies the strategic principles of the game will generally come out on top. Especially when facing less-informed players.

The game of Othello is divided into three stages. The opening consists of the first 20 moves, the middlegame covers the next 20 moves, and the endgame encompasses the final 20 moves.

In the beginning of Othello, there’s a phase called the “battle for mobility,” also known as mobility optimization. Each player strives to have greater mobility (more options) than their opponent in every turn.

Maximum Discs Strategy

New players often make the mistake of trying to have the most discs in every stage of the game. With each move, they play to obtain the highest number of discs possible.

This is called the maximum discs or discs strategy. However, this strategy is usually not the right one. An Othello game is won in the end, and there can still be many discs that flip.

Corners

The corners are special because a disc in a corner can never be flipped. This allows them to protect many discs.

Don’t ever put a disc next to a corner. Instead, make a plan to force your opponent to place a disc next to a corner.

If you have two adjacent corners, you will also have control over the connecting side. If you have 3 corners, you will have at least 2 sides.

The corners and edges count for 28 squares, which is almost half of the total.

Mobility

If you have many good options to place a disc, while your opponent only has a few weak possibilities, you have control of the game.

Always try to minimize the number of options for your opponent and maximize the number of options you have.

If possible, force your opponent to pass on their next turn.

Stable Discs

Stable discs are discs that can’t be flipped for the rest of the game, no matter how the game progresses.

Usually, it takes until the end of the game to get your discs stable.

The corners are always stable, as well as the discs next to the corners on the edges, etc.

Less is more

The simplest way to increase your mobility (compared to your opponent’s) is to have fewer pieces on the board.

Your opponent knows this too and will likely try to do the same.

Boundaries

Discs that are only touching adjacent fields are called border discs, while the other discs are called interior discs.

The fewer border discs you have, the fewer choices your opponent has. That’s the key to winning the battle for mobility.

How to Make Your Opponent Make a Move

When I only have one legal move left, no matter how bad it might be for me, I have to make that move.

This is a great way to force your opponent to place a disk next to a corner.

To do this, I might have to sacrifice some of my own disks, but I’ll get something better in return.

Understanding Parity

Because there is an even number of squares on the board and black always goes first, that means white goes last. This is called parity.

So, it’s a good strategy to leave an even number of empty spaces in every region where your opponent can play.

In other words, it’s better to play in closed-off areas that have an odd number of open spaces.