Rules
How many pieces are in Othello?
The short answer
An Othello set has 64 discs, one for every square on the board. They are usually described as 32 per player. Every disc is black on one face and white on the other, so which colour it counts as depends only on which way up it is sitting. Four start on the board.
The short answer is 64. The longer answer is that "32 discs each" is a way of sharing out the pile rather than a real division of the pieces, and knowing that clears up most of the questions people have about the count.
The numbers
| What | How many |
|---|---|
| Squares on the board | 64, as 8 rows by 8 columns |
| Discs in a set | 64, each black on one side and white on the other |
| Discs per player at the start | 32 |
| Discs on the board at the start | 4, two of each colour |
| Empty squares at the start | 60 |
| Moves in a game that fills the board | 60, so 30 each |
Why the discs are two-sided
There is no black set and no white set. There is one pile of identical discs, and a disc belongs to whoever is currently facing up. That is what makes the flipping rule possible. Turning a disc over does not swap it for a different piece, it just turns it over.
It also means you never really need to count out 32 each. Put the pile in the middle of the table and take from it as you go. Boxed sets suggest the 32 split because it makes the game feel symmetrical, and because tournament tables want each player to have their own supply.
Why 60 moves
Four discs are already down at the start, so 60 squares are left. Every move puts exactly one new disc on the board and never removes one, so a game that fills the board takes 60 moves, 30 for each player. Passes do not add a disc and do not count.
Plenty of games use fewer. Play stops the moment neither player has a legal move, and that can leave squares empty. When a game ends shows all three finishes, including one that lasted nine moves.
The largest and smallest counts you can end on
- 64 to 0. A wipeout, where one colour is flipped off the board entirely. Rare against a careful opponent, and it can happen inside ten moves against a careless one.
- 32 to 32. A drawn full board. Perfect play from both sides is now known to end here. Othello is solved.
- 33 to 31. The narrowest possible win on a full board.
Anything in between is normal. The count only settles at the end, which is why being ahead on discs in the middle of the game means so little. How scoring works.
Buying or replacing a set
Any 8x8 board and any 64 two-sided counters will do. Draughts pieces work if you are happy to swap them rather than flip them. Goro Hasegawa's original version used Go stones. If you want to print rather than buy, there is a printable board; if you want a real set, what to look for.
No discs to count out here
On the board on this site the discs are drawn rather than dealt, so the running count is always on screen and always right. Play a game against the computer and watch how far the count swings between move 30 and move 60.
Related: board setup, the complete rules and scoring.
Frequently asked questions
How many pieces are in Othello?
64 discs, one for every square on the board. A boxed set describes them as 32 per player, but every disc is black on one side and white on the other, so the split is only a convention for handing them out.
How many discs does each player have?
32 at the start of a tournament game. If you run out while you still have a legal move, your opponent has to hand you discs from their pile, so nobody is ever stopped by the count.
How many pieces start on the board?
Four: two black on d5 and e4, two white on d4 and e5. That leaves 60 empty squares, which is why a game that fills the board takes exactly 60 moves.
How many squares does an Othello board have?
64, arranged as 8 rows by 8 columns, the same grid as a chessboard. Square colour plays no part in the game.
What if I lose a disc from my set?
You can play a full game with 63 discs and never notice, since games often end with squares empty. If you are short by more than one, a set of two-sided counters or a printed board with coins works fine.