I really do not know what this really is about, but someone in the reversi board proposed a game called "reversi race", where you count the total number of disc flips throughout the game instead of the number of black/white disks in the end.

Unfortunately, that proposer ignored the fact that if no-one passes during the game and the whole board is filled, the same player that flips more disks also has more disks in the end, so the difference between this variant and ordinary reversi is very small. Actually, we have the formulas:

BS - WS - WP + BP = 2 (BF - WF),

assuming that the total number of moves (including passes) in the game is even, and

BS - WS - WP + BP + 1 = 2 (BF - WF),

if the total number of moves (including passes) is odd.

Here BS is black's score in normal othello, BP the number of black's passes, BF the total number of disks flipped by black, and Wx similarly for white. We assume that white plays first.

IMO reversi with the tournament rules (fixed diagonal opening, black moving first) would be a far more important thing to implement.

I have to agree that implementing the official rules should be top priority as far as reversi goes. I know few reversi players who abandoned this site because of the ruleset used.

I am just the casual reversi player. I do not play a lot but do enjoy playing it now and then. However I do not see what the fuss is about. I know some do not like the start of the game. However before starting a game you could make an agreement about the starting 4 pieces. If this is what the issue is. I am not sure. If I am missing the arguement please enlighten me.

BlazinBrian:

In normal games play it's possible to make an agreement, but in tournaments you do not know who you'll be playing against, and do not know whether they agree to use the diagonal opening.

Consequently, it's impossible to arrange tournaments here with the correct tournament rules.

And it is impossible to make an agreement that black goes first :) The openings look weird when the colours are switched. I'm sure "pro" players in any game wouldn't like if the wrong colour had the first move.

Why is it so important to start with the diagonal opening?

pipilo:

(1) Because it's that way accordingt to the official tournament rules. Some people such as myself want to practice the real game that is universally accepted, and not some local variant.

(2) Good players say that the game is more unbalanced (the beginner has a disadvantage) with the parallel opening.