Reversi

Challenge a coworker on a longer break: flip their discs and finish with more of your colour.

Board
2 players
≈ 15 min

Set up a game

Players: 2
Time limit: 12 minutes
Board: 8 × 8

The game and an office break

Reversi: rules, tips to win and how it helps at work

How the game works

Reversi begins with four discs in the centre of an 8 × 8 board. Black moves first, and the players then take turns placing one disc on an empty square.

A legal move must trap at least one opposing disc in a straight line between the new disc and another of your own. Lines may run horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Every trapped disc flips to your colour, including lines in several directions from one move. If you have no legal square, your turn passes automatically and the other player may move again. A full board or no legal moves for either player ends the game.

The twelve-minute match limit also ends it. More discs at the finish win, and equal counts draw. A missed 30-second turn passes to the opponent.

Tips to win

Do not judge the position only by the current disc count. A move that flips a long line may expose new legal squares for the opponent, while a modest flip can limit their options.
Scan in all eight directions before placing a disc, then consider which empty squares your move makes playable next.
Corners are especially valuable because a disc placed there cannot be flipped.
Be careful with squares next to an open corner, where a tempting gain may let your opponent claim it.
If the opponent has no legal move, the turn returns to you, so plan the follow-up rather than assuming the board will alternate evenly.

Make it an office break

Two remote colleagues have a quarter-hour overlap after a handoff call, when one is heading to lunch and the other has just settled in. They choose Reversi for a quiet shared pause without another video meeting.

An early sweep of flipped discs looks decisive, but an open corner keeps the board unsettled, so they let the full match play out. They agree before starting to return to their separate work when the game ends.

The twelve-minute limit gives the pause a boundary, while the changing disc count gives them something to follow together without narrating every move.

Why it helps at work

Trains thinking about position, not just count
Every move can change the board, so attention stays sharp
A compact strategy duel for a longer break

Reversi

Challenge a coworker on a longer break: flip their discs and finish with more of your colour.

Reversi

Challenge a coworker on a longer break: flip their discs and finish with more of your colour.

Board
2 players
≈ 15 min

Set up a game

Players: 2
Time limit: 12 minutes
Board: 8 × 8

The game and an office break

Reversi: rules, tips to win and how it helps at work

How the game works

Reversi begins with four discs in the centre of an 8 × 8 board. Black moves first, and the players then take turns placing one disc on an empty square.

A legal move must trap at least one opposing disc in a straight line between the new disc and another of your own. Lines may run horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

The twelve-minute match limit also ends it. More discs at the finish win, and equal counts draw. A missed 30-second turn passes to the opponent.

Tips to win

Do not judge the position only by the current disc count. A move that flips a long line may expose new legal squares for the opponent, while a modest flip can limit their options.
Scan in all eight directions before placing a disc, then consider which empty squares your move makes playable next.
Corners are especially valuable because a disc placed there cannot be flipped.
Be careful with squares next to an open corner, where a tempting gain may let your opponent claim it.
If the opponent has no legal move, the turn returns to you, so plan the follow-up rather than assuming the board will alternate evenly.

Make it an office break

The twelve-minute limit gives the pause a boundary, while the changing disc count gives them something to follow together without narrating every move.

Why it helps at work

Trains thinking about position, not just count
Every move can change the board, so attention stays sharp
A compact strategy duel for a longer break