REVERSI(6)					       REVERSI(6)

NAME
       reversi - a game of dramatic reversals

SYNOPSIS
       /usr/games/reversi [ [ -r ] file ]

DESCRIPTION
       Reversi	(also  known  as `friends', `Chinese friends' and
       `Othello') is played  on	 an  8x8  board	 using	two-sided
       tokens.	 Each  player  takes  his turn by placing a token
       with his side up in an empty  square.   During  the  first
       four turns, players may only place tokens in the four cen-
       tral squares of the board.  Subsequently, with each  turn,
       a  player  must	capture	 one  or  more	of his opponent's
       tokens.	He does this by placing one of	his  tokens  such
       that  it and another of his tokens embrace a solid line of
       his opponent's  horizontally,  vertically  or  diagonally.
       Captured	 tokens	 are flipped over and thus can be re-cap-
       tured.  If a player cannot outflank his opponent	 he  for-
       feits  his  turn.   The	play continues until the board is
       filled or until no more outflanking is possible.

       In this game, your tokens are asterisks and the	machine's
       are at-signs.  You move by typing in the row and column at
       which you want to place your token as  two  digits  (1-8),
       optionally separated by blanks or tabs.	You can also type

       c      to continue the game after hitting break	(this  is
	      only  necessary  if you interrupt the machine while
	      it is deliberating).

       g n    to start reversi playing	against	 itself	 for  the
	      next n moves (or until the break key is hit).

       n      to stop printing the board after each move.

       o      to start it up again.

       p      to print the board regardless.

       q      to quit (without dishonor).

       s      to print the score.

       Reversi	also  recognizes several commands which are valid
       only at the start of the game, before any moves have  been
       made.  They are

       f      to let the machine go first.

       h n    to  ask  for  a handicap of from one to four corner
	      squares.	If you're good, you can give the  machine
	      a handicap by typing a negative number.

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REVERSI(6)					       REVERSI(6)

       l n    to  set the amount of lookahead used by the machine
	      in searching for moves.  Zero means  none	 at  all.
	      Four  is	the  default.  Greater than six means you
	      may fall asleep waiting for the machine to move.

       t n    to tell reversi that you will only need  n  seconds
	      to  consider  each  move. If you fail to respond in
	      the alloted time, you forfeit your turn.

       If reversi is given a file name as an  argument,	 it  will
       checkpoint  the	game,  move by move, by dumping the board
       onto file.  The -r option will cause  reversi  to  restart
       the game from file and continue logging.

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