How to Play Nine Men's Morris
One of the oldest strategy games in the world. Place your pieces to form mills of three, capture your opponent, and reduce them to defeat. Found carved into ancient Egyptian temples.
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Objective
Reduce your opponent to fewer than 3 pieces, or block them so they cannot move.
Phase 1: Placement
Players alternate placing one piece per turn on any empty node. Forming a Mill (3 in a line) lets you remove one opponent piece. Pieces inside a Mill are protected unless no others remain.
Phase 2: Movement
Slide one piece per turn to an adjacent empty node. Forming a Mill still triggers a capture.
Phase 3: Flying
When reduced to exactly 3 pieces, a player may move to any empty node on the board.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a mill in Nine Mens Morris?
A mill is when you align exactly three of your own pieces in a straight line along one of the 16 possible lines on the board. Forming a mill lets you remove one opponent piece.
How old is Nine Mens Morris?
Nine Mens Morris is over 3,500 years old. Game boards have been found carved into ancient Egyptian temples, Roman ruins, and medieval European cathedrals.
What is the flying phase?
When a player is reduced to exactly 3 pieces they enter the flying phase and can move any piece to any empty node on the board, not just adjacent ones.
Can you reuse the same mill every turn?
No. To score a second capture from the same mill line you must move a piece out of the line on one turn then move it back in on a later turn.
How many pieces does each player start with?
Each player starts with 9 pieces placed one per turn during the placement phase. The board has 24 nodes total.
What happens if a player cannot move?
If a player has 3 or more pieces but cannot move any of them because all adjacent nodes are blocked, that player loses immediately by immobilization.
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