Nine Men's Morris
Ancient strategy board game. Form mills (3-in-a-row) to capture opponent's pieces across three phases: placing, moving, and flying.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a 'mill' in Nine Men's Morris?
A mill is three of your pieces lined up in a straight row along the board's lines. Each time you form a new mill — by placing, moving, or flying — you may remove one of your opponent's pieces from the board.
Can I break and reform a mill to keep capturing?
Yes. This is a classic tactic. You move a piece out of a mill on one turn, then move it back on a later turn to re-form the mill and capture again. Skilled players build 'double mills' — two overlapping mills — to repeatedly capture.
When does the 'flying' phase begin?
The flying phase begins for a player when they are reduced to exactly 3 pieces. From then on, that player may move any of their 3 pieces to any empty point on the board, not just adjacent points. This gives the losing side a comeback chance.
Can I capture a piece that is part of a mill?
Generally no — you cannot remove an opponent's piece that is part of a mill, unless every single one of the opponent's remaining pieces is part of a mill. In that case, you may remove any of them.
Explore Game Details
About Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris is one of the oldest board games in the world, played for thousands of years across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is played on a board of three nested squares connected by lines, giving 24 intersection points where pieces can be placed.
Benefits
Playing Nine Men's Morris develops multi-phase strategic thinking, threat recognition, and resource management. You must balance forming your own mills with blocking the opponent's, while carefully managing a diminishing supply of pieces across three distinct phases.
How to Play
- The board has 3 nested squares connected by midpoint lines, creating 24 intersection points. Each player begins with 9 pieces.
- Phase 1 — Placing: Players take turns placing their 9 pieces one at a time on any empty intersection.
- Phase 2 — Moving: After all pieces are placed, players move one piece per turn along the lines to an adjacent empty point.
- Phase 3 — Flying: When a player is reduced to only 3 pieces, they may 'fly' — moving any of their pieces to any empty point on the board, not just adjacent ones.
- Whenever you form a mill (3 of your pieces in a straight line along the board lines), you remove one of your opponent's pieces. You cannot remove pieces inside an enemy mill unless all enemy pieces are in mills.
- You win if your opponent is reduced to fewer than 3 pieces, or if your opponent has no legal move on their turn.
Strategy Tips
Build intersections: Points that lie on two potential mill lines (intersections of rows and columns) are the most valuable — they let you threaten two mills at once.
Plan double mills: Set up positions where one move completes two mills simultaneously, or where moving one piece breaks one mill and forms another.
Mobility matters: In the moving phase, keep your pieces connected and avoid being boxed in. A player with no legal moves loses, even with pieces remaining.
Don't over-capture: Sometimes leaving the opponent with exactly 4 pieces is better than reducing them to 3 — at 3, they enter the powerful flying phase.
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