Nine Men's Morris
Line up three to make a mill and take a piece.
How to play Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris is a strategy game that is more than 2,000 years old. It is also called Mill or Merrills. The board has 24 points on three squares joined by four lines. Each player has nine pieces: White moves first, then Black.
Goal
Leave your opponent with only two pieces, or with no legal move.
Mills
A mill is three of your pieces in a straight line along one of the drawn lines. Each time you form a new mill, you remove one of your opponent's pieces. You may not take a piece that is part of a mill, unless all of their pieces are in mills.
Turn by turn
- Placing. Players take turns placing one piece on any empty point until both have placed all nine.
- Moving. Then, on your turn, slide one of your pieces along a line to a next empty point. Tap a piece to pick it, then tap where it should go.
- Flying. When you are down to three pieces, your pieces can jump to any empty point.
- Removing. If your move makes a mill, the game asks you to remove a piece. Tap one of the marked opposing pieces.
You can open a mill by moving a piece out, then close it again on a later turn to make a new mill. Legal points are marked on the board, and the last move is outlined.
End of the game
You win when your opponent has only two pieces left, or cannot move on their turn because every piece is blocked. The game is a draw if 50 moves in a row pass in the moving phase with no mill, or if the same position comes up three times.
Enjoy old games with simple pieces? Try Mancala too.
Strategy tips
- Do not rush mills while placing. Early mills are easy to block. It is often better to spread out and keep many options open.
- Hold the crossing points. The middle points of each side of the middle square touch four lines. Pieces there are hard to block and help in the moving phase.
- Make double threats. Set up two places where you could close a mill. Your opponent can only block one of them.
- Build a running mill. A piece that can slide between two mills makes a new mill every time it moves. This is often the winning plan.
- Keep room to move. Count your free moves. A player whose pieces are all blocked loses, even with many pieces left.
- Be careful at three pieces. A flying player can strike anywhere, so watch every open line of two.
Nine Men's Morris FAQ
Is Nine Men's Morris the same as Mill or Merrills?
Yes. Mill, Mills, Merrills and Merels are all names for the same game. In German it is called Mühle.
Can I take a piece that is in a mill?
Only if every one of your opponent's pieces is part of a mill. Otherwise you must choose a piece that is not in a mill.
What does flying mean?
When a player has only three pieces left, they may move a piece to any empty point instead of only to a next point. This gives the weaker side a last chance.
How strong is the computer?
Easy plays mostly at random but often grabs a mill. Medium looks a couple of moves ahead. Hard searches about six moves deep and is a real challenge.
