Board game:Othello

Japanese enthusiast Goro Hasegawa invented the modern game Othello in 1971. Othello is actually based on an earlier game, reversi, probably invented around 1883 by an Englishman. The game relates closely to the Japanese game "Gomoku," played on a Go game board, and to the English version called "Go Bang." American toy inventor and promoter James Becker helped develop and market the game in Japan and the United States under the name "Othello." It became a commercial success in Japan during the 1970s and has gained in popularity around the world since. Becker also coined the marketing phrase "a minute to learn...a lifetime to master." Players win this strategy game by gaining opposing player pieces, turned over to reflect that leader's color. Bracketing a line of the opposition's color pieces turns them to his or her color.