REVERSI(6)          UNIX Programmer's Manual           REVERSI(6)

NAME
     reversi - a game of dramatic reversals

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

DESCRIPTION
     _R_e_v_e_r_s_i (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 central squares of the
     board.  Subsequently, with each turn, a player _m_u_s_t capture
     one or more of his opponent's tokens.  He does this by plac-
     ing one of his tokens such that it and another of his tokens
     embrace a solid line of his opponent's horizontally, verti-
     cally or diagonally.  Captured tokens are flipped over and
     thus can be re-captured.  If a player cannot outflank his
     opponent he forfeits 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 _r_e_v_e_r_s_i 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.

     _R_e_v_e_r_s_i 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.

Printed 9/10/82                                                 1

REVERSI(6)          UNIX Programmer's Manual           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 _r_e_v_e_r_s_i 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 _r_e_v_e_r_s_i is given a file name as an argument, it will
     checkpoint the game, move by move, by dumping the board onto
     _f_i_l_e.  The -r option will cause _r_e_v_e_r_s_i to restart the game
     from _f_i_l_e and continue logging.

Printed 9/10/82                                                 2