Rules
Who goes first in Othello?
The short answer
Black always moves first. There is no toss and no choice about it, and the World Othello Federation lists it as the first official rule. From the starting position Black has exactly four legal moves: d3, c4, f5, e6. They are the same move seen from four sides.
This one is short because the rule is short. Black opens, every time, in every version of the modern game. What is worth a few more paragraphs is what Black can actually do with the move, and whether going first helps at all.
Black's four opening moves
From the starting position, 4 squares are legal for Black and the other 56 empty squares are not. They are marked below.
Each one traps a single white disc against a black disc on the far side, so each flips exactly one disc and leaves Black with 4 discs to White's 1.
Why the four moves are the same move
The starting position is unchanged by a half turn of the board, and by reflecting it in either of the two long diagonals. Each of those three movements leaves every disc on a square of the same colour, so the position is genuinely identical, and each one carries the four opening squares onto each other. Reflect in the a1 to h8 diagonal and d3 becomes c4; turn the board through half a circle and it becomes e6.
The practical result is that Black's first move genuinely does not matter. Every book, every database and every engine treats games as starting from one of them, usually f5, and rotates everything else to match. The interesting choice is White's reply, which is where the three opening families come from. The openings index and the best first move.
Is going first an advantage?
Barely, and not against a strong opponent. In November 2023 Hiroki Takizawa published a proof that Othello is solved: with perfect play from both sides the game is a 32 to 32 draw. Moving first is worth exactly nothing if neither player makes a mistake.
Among humans the picture is close to even, with a very slight lean towards White at the top level. Playing second means you are answering rather than setting the shape of the game, which some strong players prefer. The solving result in detail.
Picking colours
In a casual game, however you like. Toss a disc, since it already has two sides. In tournaments the pairing system assigns colours and balances them across the rounds, so nobody plays black much more often than white. Official tournament rules.
Take the first move
Open a game on the board on this site and you play black by default, with all four opening squares marked. If you would rather answer than open, switch to White on the computer board and the computer will take black and move first.
Related: board setup, the complete rules and how to play step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Who goes first in Othello?
Black always moves first. It is fixed by the rules, so there is no toss and no choice. The World Othello Federation states it as the first of its official rules.
Does Black have an advantage in Othello?
Not a decisive one. In 2023 the game was computationally solved and perfect play by both sides was shown to end in a 32-32 draw, so moving first is worth nothing against a perfect opponent. More on that result.
How do players decide who plays black?
However you like in a casual game. In tournaments the pairing system assigns colours, and players are given roughly equal numbers of games as each colour across an event.
What are Black's legal first moves?
Four: d3, c4, f5 and e6. The starting position is symmetric, so those four squares are the same move seen from four sides, and on move one the choice makes no difference at all. More on the first move.
Can White move first in some versions?
Not in Othello. Some old Reversi rulesets let players place the opening discs themselves, which changed who effectively started, but the modern game fixes Black first. Reversi vs Othello.