Editing Reversi (section)

=== Original version ===
Englishmen Lewis Waterman and John W. Mollett{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} both claim to have invented the game of reversi in 1883, each denouncing the other as a fraud. The game gained considerable popularity in England at the end of the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief history of Othello |url=http://www.beppi.it/public/OthelloMuseum/pages/history.php |access-date=4 January 2015 |website=Othello Museum |publisher=Beppi.it}}</ref> The game's first reliable mention is in the 21 August 1886 edition of ''[[Saturday Review (London newspaper)|The Saturday Review]]''. Later mention includes an 1895 article in ''[[The New York Times]]'', which describes reversi as "something like [[Gomoku|Go Bang]], [...] played with 64 pieces."<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |date=1 December 1895 |title=Fine New Games and Toys; Now Ready for Distribution by the Agents of Santa Claus. In the Modern Wonderland – Millions Spent for the Amusement and Instruction of Children – Minds Active and Hands Busy All the Time |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F01EEDB1139E033A25752C0A9649D94649ED7CF&scp=14&sq=reversi |access-date=4 January 2015}}</ref> In 1893, the German games publisher [[Ravensburger]] started producing the game as one of its first titles. Two 18th century continental European books dealing with a game that may or may not be reversi are mentioned on page fourteen of the Spring 1989 ''[[Othello Quarterly]]'', and there has been speculation, so far without documentation, that the game has older origins.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

A Japanese publication in 1907 titled ''World Games Rules Complete Collection'' (世界遊戯法大全) describes the board game reversi with the same rules as ''Othello'' where the first four pieces go in the center in a diagonal pattern and the player who cannot make a move simply passes.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Complete World Game Law |date=December 1907 |publisher=Hakubunkan |pages=187–189 |language=Japanese |chapter=裏返へし（レヴアルシー）Reversi |doi=10.11501/860315|last1=松浦 |first1=政泰 }}</ref>