The World Othello Championship (WOC) is the annual world championship tournament in the board game Othello, organised by the World Othello Federation (WOF) and its member national federations. The first WOC was held in Tokyo in 1977 with representatives from five countries, and has since grown into an international competition attracting players from dozens of nations around the world.
The World Othello Championship typically takes place over several days and determines titles including the World Othello Champion, the WomenâÂÂs World Othello Champion, the Youth World Othello Champion, and team champions. The tournament format usually includes multiple rounds of play where competitors meet in a Swiss or roundâÂÂrobin system to determine final standings.
The championship is open to players from all WOF member nations, with federations entitled to send a set number of competitors. In recent years the number of participants has reached around 90âÂÂ100 players, reflecting the growing global interest in competitive Othello. The event is also often hosted in conjunction with other WOF activities such as annual general meetings or confederation events.
The first World Othello Championship was contested in Tokyo, Japan in 1977, with Hiroshi Inoue becoming the inaugural world champion. Early editions of the tournament featured a small number of competitors, but by the late 1980s the event expanded to include players from over 20 countries and added team competition categories.
Throughout its history, the World Othello Championship has been hosted in a variety of countries and regions. For example, the 2024 championship was held in Hangzhou, China, where Seiya Kurita emerged as the World Othello Champion after finishing atop the standings in a field of international competitors.
Over time the organisation of the championship became more formalised under the World Othello Federation, which was established in 2005 to promote the game worldwide and oversee international competitions. The WOF continues to coordinate the annual championship along with regional and confederation Othello events to foster competitive play at all levels.
The World Othello Championship (WOC), which started in 1977, was first organized by the Japan Othello Association. From 1978 until 2004, the World Othello Championship was organized by the Othello TD group and Anjar Co. In 2005, the World Othello Federation took over the responsibility for the WOC.
From 1977 to 1986, each country could send one player to participate in the WOC. From 1987, each country could send up to three players to participate. In 1987, the title WOC team championship started. In 2005, a female championship category was added to the WOC. From 2006, each World Othello Federation member could send a full team of up to four players. In 2016, a youth champion title was added to the WOC. The WOC was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.