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How to play Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris is a two-player strategy game for all ages. Each player has nine men; the goal is to make rows of three, called mills, and to take the other player's men until they cannot fight on. You can learn it in five minutes and keep learning for a lifetime.
What you need
You need a board and 18 men: nine light and nine dark. The board is three squares, one inside the other, joined by four lines through the middle of their sides. That gives 24 points where lines meet or turn, and the men sit on those points, not in the spaces between. If you have no board you can draw one in a minute (see how to draw a Morris board).
The goal
A mill is three of your men in a straight line along one of the board's lines. Every time you form a mill you remove one of your opponent's men from the board. You win by leaving your opponent with only two men, or with men that cannot move.
The game in three phases
1. Placing
The board starts empty. Light plays first. Players take turns putting one man from their hand on any empty point. If your man completes a mill, you remove an opposing man at once. Nothing moves in this phase: it ends when both players have placed all nine men.
2. Moving
Now each turn you slide one of your men along a line to the next empty point. You may not jump over men or skip points. Open a mill by moving a man out, and close it again on a later turn, and you take a man each time. A player who is boxed in with no legal move loses.
3. Flying
When you are down to three men, you may fly: move any of your men to any empty point on the board, ignoring the lines. Flying is a lifeline for the weaker side, because a flying player can threaten a mill from anywhere. Some households play without it; MorrisTalk's Nine and Twelve Men's boards use it, and Six Men's does not.
Taking a man
When you close a mill, pick an opposing man and take it off the board. By the usual rule you may not take a man that is part of one of your opponent's mills, unless every man they have stands in a mill. Choose carefully: removing the right man is often worth more than the mill itself.
How the game ends
- You win when your opponent is down to two men.
- You win when your opponent cannot make a legal move on their turn.
- It is a draw if the same position repeats three times, or a long run of moves passes with no man placed or taken. MorrisTalk draws after 50 quiet moves.
A first turn, step by step
Place your first man on a point where three or four lines meet; such points keep your options open (more on that in the strategy guide). Your opponent answers. After a few turns, watch for two of your men on one line with the third point empty: that is a threat. If your opponent has such a pair, put a man on the empty point to block it. Play on until all men are down, then start sliding.
Common beginner mistakes
- Racing for a mill in the placing phase. A man that closes a mill but has no free neighbour can be locked in for the rest of the game.
- Forgetting to block. Look at every line your opponent has two men on before you place your own man.
- Moving a man out of a mill for no reason. Leaving a mill opens a hole your opponent may fill; do it only to threaten to close it again.
- Giving up the middle ring. The four crossroads of the middle square give a man four neighbours and are worth taking early.
Frequently asked questions
How many men do you need for Nine Men's Morris?
Each player has nine men, eighteen in all. You also need a board with 24 points: three nested squares joined by four lines through the middle of their sides.
Who goes first in Nine Men's Morris?
By tradition, the player with the light men moves first. Many families alternate who starts from game to game.
Can you win Nine Men's Morris by blocking?
Yes. If on your opponent's turn none of their men has a legal move, they lose, even if they still have more than two men.