How to Play

Nine Men's Morris is a classic strategy board game for two players. The goal is to form rows of three pieces (called mills) to capture your opponent's pieces.

The Board

The board has three concentric squares connected by lines from the midpoint of each side, creating 24 intersection points (nodes) where pieces can be placed. Each node connects to 2–4 adjacent nodes via the drawn lines.

Pieces

Each player has 9 pieces of their colour (white or black). White always moves first.

Phases of Play

Phase 1 — Placing

Players alternate placing one piece on any unoccupied node. This continues until all 18 pieces (9 per player) have been placed. If a player forms a mill during placement, they immediately remove one opponent piece.

Phase 2 — Moving

After all pieces are placed, players alternate moving one of their pieces along a line to an adjacent unoccupied node. If a player forms a mill, they immediately remove one opponent piece.

Phase 3 — Flying

When a player is reduced to exactly 3 pieces, they may "fly" — move a piece to any unoccupied node, not just adjacent ones. Only the player with 3 pieces can fly; the other player moves normally.

Mills

A mill is three pieces of the same colour in a straight line along a board line (horizontal or vertical). When you form a mill, you must remove one of your opponent's pieces from the board.

  • A piece in an opponent's mill cannot be removed — unless all opponent pieces are in mills.
  • A mill can be "broken" and "reformed" by moving a piece out and back in — this counts as a new mill each time.

Winning

You win when your opponent:

  • Is reduced to fewer than 3 pieces (cannot form mills), or
  • Has no legal moves on their turn (all pieces blocked).

Draws

  • Both players agree to a draw.
  • 50 moves without a mill or capture.