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The current most regularly used rule set — the one that is used on the international tournament stage — originated in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan in the 1970s: the Japanese game company Tsukuda Original registered the game under the trademark name Othello.

The name was selected as a reference to the Shakespearean play Othello, the Moor of Venice, referencing the conflict between the Moor Othello and Iago, who describes himself as " two faced " and more controversially, to the unfolding drama between Othello, who is black, and Desdemona, who is white.

The green colour of the board is inspired by the image of the general Othello, valiantly leading his battle in a green field.

It can also be likened to a jealousy competition ( jealousy being the central theme in Shakespeare's play ), since players engulf the pieces of the opponent, thereby turning them to their possession.