Nine Men’s Morris

One of the oldest known board games, dating back over 3,000 years. Two players alternate placing and moving pieces on a distinctive board of three nested squares connected by lines.

Rules

Board

The board has 24 intersection points arranged as three concentric squares connected by lines at their midpoints.

Phases

Phase 1 — Placing: Players alternate placing one piece at a time on any empty point. Each player has 9 pieces.

Phase 2 — Moving: Once all pieces are placed, players take turns moving one piece along a line to an adjacent empty point.

Phase 3 — Flying: When a player is reduced to exactly 3 pieces, that player may “fly” — move a piece to any empty point on the board (not just adjacent ones).

Mills

A mill is formed when three of your pieces are in a row along a line. When you form a mill, you must remove one of your opponent’s pieces from the board. You cannot remove a piece that is part of a mill unless no other pieces are available.

Winning

You win by either:

• Reducing your opponent to 2 pieces (they can no longer form mills)
• Leaving your opponent with no legal moves