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Reversi Openings

The openings players actually use in Reversi, listed one by one. Each reads on its own, and each comes with the position it leads to: press Try it on the board and you play the next move yourself.

Rabbit (usagi)

Opening 1

Black opens at f5, White answers at d6, and the shape is called the vertical opening. Black's c5 from there is the Rabbit. Of the four classic Japanese openings — Rabbit, Tiger, Ox and Mouse — it is the shortest and the easiest, and it is usually the first one recommended.

c5 sandwiches the middle of White's vertical row at d4, d5 and d6, so it flips a single disc. That is fine. Flipping a lot of discs this early only makes your stones a target and leaves you fewer places to play next. The line continues with White f4 and Black e3, and those five moves are the whole skeleton.

Play c3 instead of c5 on move three and you are in the Tiger instead. The first two moves are identical, so learning the two side by side is the quickest way to remember both.

Suits
Anyone learning their first opening, or wanting just one short line to remember.
First moves
Black f5 – White d6 – Black c5 – White f4 – Black e3

Tiger (tora)

Opening 2

From the same vertical opening as the Rabbit — Black f5, White d6 — Black plays c3 instead. c3 takes White's d4 on the diagonal and builds a foothold towards the top left. White answers d3, Black plays c4, and those five moves are the skeleton of the Tiger.

The Tiger branches more than any of the other three: from move six on, the shape depends on what White chooses. You do not have to learn the branches. Learn the five-move skeleton, then play by watching the corners and the edges.

Whichever branch you end up in, the early plan is the same: flip few discs, keep many places to play. A move that flips a big pile usually hands your opponent new squares to play on, which is a poor trade this early in the game.

Suits
Players who want one opening to keep, and who like choosing between branches.
First moves
Black f5 – White d6 – Black c3 – White d3 – Black c4

Ox (ushi)

Opening 3

When White answers f5 by playing directly below it at f6, the shape is called the diagonal opening, and it develops quite differently from the vertical one. The standard reply is the Ox: Black plays e6.

e6 sandwiches White's e5 from below and flips one disc. White follows with f4, Black with e3, and Black's stones end up on a diagonal through the centre. White builds along the right-hand edge, but edge stones are not safe until a corner falls, so there is nothing to fear this early.

The Ox is as short and as simple as the Rabbit. White's second move tells you which opening you are in: d6 means the Rabbit or the Tiger, f6 means the Ox, f4 means the Mouse below. Learn those three and you will never be lost in the opening.

Suits
Players who want a ready answer to f6, and who like building towards the centre.
First moves
Black f5 – White f6 – Black e6 – White f4 – Black e3

Mouse (nezumi)

Opening 4

When White answers f5 by playing directly above it at f4, the shape is called the parallel opening, and Black's e3 from there is the Mouse. e3 sandwiches e4 from above, out of White's horizontal row at d4, e4 and f4. The line continues White f6, Black d3.

White's f4 is widely regarded as the weakest of the three second moves. Modern analysis rates the resulting position as comfortable for Black, and stronger players have largely stopped choosing it.

It still turns up between beginners, though. Knowing the first three moves is enough: from there Black is not in any trouble. If White plays f4, answer calmly at e3.

Suits
Players who want an answer to all three of White's replies, and who do not want to be surprised.
First moves
Black f5 – White f4 – Black e3 – White f6 – Black d3

X and C squares: the moves to avoid

Opening 5

The squares diagonally next to a corner — b2, g2, b7, g7 — are called X squares; the squares beside a corner along an edge, such as a2 and b1, are C squares. Playing them in the opening or the middlegame is the quickest way to hand a corner over, and every opening book warns about them first.

The reason is simple. A disc of yours next to a corner gives your opponent something to sandwich against, which is exactly what they need in order to play the corner itself. A disc in a corner never flips, so an X or C move is usually a gift of a permanently safe stone.

You do not need to memorise every opening. When you fall out of the line you know, avoid the squares next to the corners, and most early disasters simply will not happen. In this position, Black b2 lets White take the a1 corner on the very next move.

Suits
Anyone before their first opening, and anyone who wants one rule for when the book runs out.
First moves
For corner a1: X = b2, C = a2 and b1 (the same at all four corners)

Try it on the board

Pick an opening and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

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Last updated 2026-09-13 · Run by Qdan, Inc.