Nine Men’s Morris

Your turn: place a piece

Tap a point to place a piece. Later, tap one of your pieces and then an empty point next to it. Your record: 0 wins · 0 losses · 0 draws

How to play Nine Men’s Morris

Nine Men’s Morris is one of the oldest board games, played for over two thousand years. Each player has nine pieces and a board of 24 points.

Place. Take turns placing one piece on any empty point until all 18 pieces are placed.
Move. Then take turns moving a piece along a line to a neighbouring empty point.
Make a mill. Three of your pieces in a straight line along a line of the board is a mill. Each time you make one, remove one of your opponent’s pieces. Pieces in a mill can’t be taken unless all their pieces are in mills.
Fly. When a player is down to three pieces, they can move a piece to any empty point.
Win by reducing your opponent to two pieces, or leaving them with no legal move.

Don’t rush mills while placing. Flexible positions on the busy middle points are worth more early on.
Build a running mill. A mill you can open and close by moving one piece back and forth takes a piece every other turn.
Block two-in-a-rows before they become mills.
Keep your pieces mobile. Being blocked in is a common way to lose.

Learn opening placements, running mills and the endgame.

Yes. Play the computer or a friend as often as you like, free in your browser.

Three of your pieces in a row along one of the board’s lines. Making a mill lets you remove an opponent’s piece.

Only if every one of your opponent’s pieces is in a mill.

When a player has only three pieces left, they can move a piece to any empty point, not just a neighbouring one.

Very old: boards have been found carved into ancient Roman buildings, and it was popular across medieval Europe.