Othello resurrected

Reversi from United Toys is still on the shelves. But even its most recent version is positively tacky compared to the far, far better finished Othello from Funskool. The same game, intriguingly marketed under two different

names! Rahul, apparently something of a prodigious chess talent, absorbed the rules very quickly. And most satisfying, was willingly to stay up late alternating between rounds of Quarto (Gigamic) and Othello. His father Nainesh seemed to appreciate the nuances of both games, and given a more appropriate time of day, might have been game for a few intense rounds. Sadly, the mother, Ritu, begged off, dismissing board games in general! Its downright irresponsible when adults don’t willingly submit to a few rounds of the games I recommend! Othello would have done her a world of good.
The new waffle iron board design is a delight to play on. The black and white counters snugly fit into each grid, eliminating the annoying out of alignment irregularity that distracts when playing on a smooth surface board. Within a few rounds, you begin seeing patterns and recognizing moves that might come in handy on another occasion. The winner is the player with the most counters of their colour on the 8x8 grid. Playing with double faced black and white circular counters, players pincer opponents pieces and flip them over to their color.
You can’t take anything for granted in Othello. The complexion of the game changes (literally and) dramatically through the game. Large swathes of white cut through my black army regularly through the last game. When I finally won, I found had barely squeaked past the victory post. A precarious four counters ahead of Rahul! Capturing the corners is sound strategy. Controlling the sides is important, but if you’re not careful, in a deft flanking move, an alert opponent can seize the positional advantage from you. And if you were ever looking for evidential support for that pithy ‘don’t count your chickens, before …’ homily. Othello is it! Rarely will you experience such tragic and unexpected losses. More so in the last few moves, just as you were relaxing, all secure in the victory you assumed was yours!

The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com [1]