Reversi strategy: quiet moves and mobility
Flipping lots of discs early in Reversi often backfires. Learn quiet moves that leave your opponent few good options. Winning ideas · lesson 3 of 4.
The lesson in words
Beginners flip as many discs as they can. Strong players usually do the opposite in the opening and middle game.
Every move you make should leave your opponent as few good moves as possible. This is called mobility. Run your opponent out of safe moves and they’ll be forced onto the danger squares.
Every move here flips one disc, but they leave black very different choices. Most leave black 7 to 9 moves.
Try it: Find the quiet move that leaves black only four replies.
Fewer discs, fewer choices for them. Next: discs that are safe forever.
Questions
Early in the game, why can having fewer discs be good?
Every gold disc on the edge of the group gives black something to trap. Fewer discs means fewer black options.