The key to Reversi is to win the corners (EDIT: you can lose while still winning 2-3 corners, but losing the corners gives the opponent a much greater chance to take large chunks of the edges and then purse to turn whole rows). To win the corners, you must avoid the spots 1 out from the corners. To avoid being forced to take the spots 1 out from the corners, one strategy is to avoid the edges as long as possible, and then try to only take edge pieces with at least one gap to the corners, and one gap to the opponent.

You also want to keep your options open, to prevent being forced into taking the wrong piece near the edge or corners.

A simple strategy that works against this version relatively often is to at the start look for positions that will take some of the opponents pieces while ideally increasing your possible moves, while being as far from the edges as possible. Then when you are forced to put a piece near the edges, put it near the centre of an edge (as far from corners as possible).

By then the options will be so constrained you can start looking a at consequences of each option, with the goal being to avoid putting pieces near the corners.

I'm not a particularly good player, and I got 3 out of 4 corners on my first attempt by just relatively haphazardly following the above, which means the default settings and/or overall strength of this version is pretty weak.

Came here to admit the same failing. I can't believe even Windows 1.01 can beat me at Reversi.

Me too. :^(

won by 24 :-D