Tsume Othello
Endgame puzzles solved by perfect play: find the move that maximizes your final disc count. Every answer is proven by exhaustive search.
By empty squares
Latest problems
🚩 Tsume Othello: First Steps
New to endgame othello? Work through these 12 in order — six 8-empty positions, then six 10-empty. Find the disc-maximizing move; solved ones get a ✓.
First Steps →⏱ Tsume Othello Speed Run
How many can you solve in 90 seconds? Find the best move, fast. No hints — your best score is saved on this device.
🖨 Tsume Othello Worksheets (PDF)
Generate free printable othello endgame problems as PDF — for clubs, classrooms, or screen-free practice. Answers (best move + disc diff) go on a separate page.
Print worksheets →📖 Related reading
How to play & strategy
What this drill asks
Each puzzle is a solved endgame. With only a handful of empty squares left, both players play perfectly to the very end. Your job is to choose the move that leaves you with the most discs once the board is full. The “final disc diff” shown after you solve is the score with best play by both sides.
Count to the end, not to now
The move that flips the most discs right now is rarely the best one. Discs flip back and forth, and only the final count matters. Pick a candidate move, follow the forced replies all the way to the last empty square, and compare totals.
Parity and quiet moves
Whoever plays the last move in an empty region usually wins those squares — this is parity. Holding access to corners, and avoiding the squares next to empty corners (the X- and C-squares), tends to pay off far more than grabbing discs early.
How to read it out
With twelve or fewer empties the rest of the game is short enough to read by hand. Try each legal move, assume your opponent answers with their best reply, and keep the line that ends with the largest disc difference in your favour.
What does “final disc diff” mean?
It is your discs minus your opponent’s after the board fills, with both sides playing perfectly. +4 means you finish four discs ahead.
Why isn’t the move that flips the most discs the answer?
Discs flip repeatedly in Othello, so an early lead can vanish. Endgames reward parity and mobility, not greed — read each line to the final square.