Play takes place on an 8-by-8 board. Players take turns placing a disc so that one or more uninterrupted lines of opposing discs are enclosed between the new disc and another disc of the player's color; enclosed discs are then reversed.

The winner is normally the player with more discs when the board is full or neither side can move. The available modes, legal-move handling, pass rules, and progression features of this DOS version are undocumented here.

Prioritize stable positional advantages rather than simply maximizing the number of discs flipped. Mobility, corner access, and control of safe edge squares are generally more important than short-term counts in Othello.

Avoid giving the opponent easy access to corners, and examine every possible line before moving. Because version-specific behavior is unverified, these are general Othello principles rather than a confirmed guide to Tommy's Othello.