This Othello entry originally pointed to a small browser game at members.tripod.com/rv6/othello.html. The original August 28, 2007 page explicitly instructed iPhone and iPod touch visitors to open that address in Safari. It was a web game, rather than a later native app that happened to share the name.
How Othello works
The World Othello Federation’s official rules explain the goal: finish with more discs showing your colour. Black moves first. Each move must trap at least one uninterrupted line of opposing discs between the new disc and another of your own; those trapped discs flip colour.
You pass only when you have no legal move. The game ends when neither player can move, which can happen before every square is occupied. Counting the pieces at that point determines the winner.
What to look for on a phone
A useful small-screen adaptation should make legal moves clear and keep empty squares easy to distinguish from the pieces. Before a long game, check how it handles a pass, restarting, and accidental taps. These are evaluation points for a board-game interface, not features we have verified in the archived 2007 implementation.
For learning the game, follow one line of discs at a time and check every direction before committing a move. A large immediate gain is not the same thing as a secure final position.
The historical link
The original page verifies the exact destination, but the live Tripod address could not be resolved during this restoration. Its current playability is unverified. This article preserves the identity of that early Safari game without redirecting its history to an unrelated modern Othello app.