What is Anti-Reversi?
Anti-Reversi, also called Reversed Reversi or misère Reversi, keeps every rule of the standard game except the goal. You place discs and flip your opponent's lines exactly as in Reversi, but when the board is full, or neither player can move, the player with fewer discs wins. Equal counts are a draw.
Because every move must still outflank and flip at least one disc, you cannot simply hold back. The skill is in choosing moves that flip as little as possible, in keeping your discs loose and easy for the opponent to take back, and in leaving the opponent with nothing but moves that flip long lines.
The usual strategy is reversed. In Reversi a corner is the best square on the board, because a disc there can never be flipped back. In Anti-Reversi it is a burden for the same reason: a corner disc stays yours until the end, and it often anchors whole edges of your colour. Players fight to make the opponent take corners and edges, and a few discs scattered across a crowded board are a strong position.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Reversi | Anti-Reversi |
|---|---|---|
| How to win | Standard ReversiHave more discs of your colour on the board than your opponent when the game ends. | Anti-ReversiHave fewer discs of your colour on the board than your opponent when the game ends. |
| Legal moves | Standard ReversiPlace a disc so that it outflanks at least one line of opposing discs, and flip every outflanked disc in every direction. | Anti-ReversiThe same. You cannot choose to flip fewer discs: every outflanked line is flipped, even when it hurts you. |
| Passing | Standard ReversiYou pass only when you have no legal move. The game ends when neither player can move. | Anti-ReversiThe same. Being forced to pass is often welcome, because it means you add no discs. |
| Draws | Standard ReversiEqual disc counts at the end are a draw. | Anti-ReversiEqual disc counts at the end are also a draw. |
| Board and options | Standard ReversiAn 8×8 board with the four centre squares filled crosswise. | Anti-ReversiAny board and option in the table setup: 6×6 or 10×10, Octagon, free opening, blocked squares or a corner handicap. |
History
Losing versions of games are called misère, a word borrowed from card games such as solo whist, where misère is a bid to take no tricks at all. Misère forms of many abstract games have been studied and played, and Anti-Reversi has no known inventor. It is listed among the standard variants of Reversi, sometimes under the name Reversed Reversi, and is offered by many computer programs and online game sites.
The game is popular with strong Reversi players because it reuses all their knowledge while turning its value around. Ideas such as mobility, parity and stable discs still decide games, but each one now points the other way, and a position that looks lost in Reversi can be winning here.