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⚪ Nine Men's Morris

Board • Traditional • Strategy • 22 plays • 💬 Write the first review

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About the game

Nine Men's Morris is a classic two-player strategy game played with nine pieces each. You can learn the rules in a few minutes, yet it takes years to master. The board is made of three nested squares joined by four short lines through the middle of their sides, and pieces sit only on the 24 points where the lines meet. Your aim is to line up three of your pieces along a line to form a mill, and every mill lets you remove one of your opponent's pieces. Reduce your opponent to two pieces, or leave them with no legal move, and the game is yours.

The game is ancient. Boards like it have been found scratched into Roman stonework, on the steps of medieval cathedrals and on a plank of a Viking ship, and its rules appear in the 13th-century book of games commissioned by King Alfonso X of Castile. In Turkey it is known as Dokuz Taş ("nine stones") or Değirmen ("the mill"), and it has been played for centuries in village tea houses, on boards carved into rock by shepherds and in school playgrounds; today it is part of the Mind Games curriculum in Turkish schools. In the 1990s computers solved it completely: with perfect play from both sides the result is a draw. So to win, you have to catch your opponent's mistake, which is exactly what makes it so much fun.

On Güncel Oyun Oyna you can play Nine Men's Morris online free with nothing to install: against the computer at three levels, with two players on one device, or online against a real opponent once you sign up. The wooden board, polished pieces and touch controls are built to feel great on phones and desktops alike.

How to play

The game has three phases. White moves first, then the players take turns.

1. Placing: each player starts with 9 pieces in hand. On your turn, put one of them on any empty point. This phase lasts until all 18 pieces are on the board.
2. Moving: once your hand is empty, each turn you slide one of your pieces along a line to an empty neighbouring point. There is no jumping over pieces.
3. Flying: when you are down to 3 pieces, you may move a piece to any empty point, neighbouring or not. This gives the weaker side one last fighting chance. Against the computer you can switch it off in the setup window.

Making a mill: in any phase, if your move fills all three points of a line with your pieces, you remove one opponent piece from the board. Pieces that are part of a mill are protected: you must take a piece that isn't in a mill first. If every opponent piece is in a mill, you may take any of them. Opening a mill and closing it again on a later turn counts as a new mill.

End of the game: a player reduced to two pieces can no longer form a mill and loses. A player who cannot move any piece on their turn, because they are completely blocked, also loses. To stop games from going on forever there are three draw rules: the game is drawn if the same position appears for the third time with the same player to move, if no piece is removed for 50 moves in the moving phase, or if no piece is removed for 20 moves while a player is flying.

Controls: while placing, simply tap a point that glows green. While moving, tap your piece first and then a green destination. When you make a mill, the opponent pieces you can remove get a red ring; tap one to take it.

Screenshots

Computer opponents and points

The Easy opponent often plays at random and is perfect for beginners. The Medium opponent calculates a few moves ahead and pounces on any mill you leave open. The Hard opponent runs an alpha-beta search over hundreds of thousands of positions per move and punishes every slip, and because it thinks in a background worker, your browser never freezes. A win earns 10 points on Easy, 20 on Medium and 40 on Hard, and draws earn a few points too. Your move record is replayed and checked against the rules on the server. Stuck? Watch a short ad for a 💡 hint showing the strongest move, or to ↩ take back your last move; each can be used 3 times per game and slightly reduces the points.

Online Nine Men's Morris

Fancy a human challenge? Sign up free and open 🌐 Play online. Create a table and send the 🔗 invite link to a friend, sit at a table waiting in the lobby, or hit ⚡ Quick play to grab the first free seat. The game starts when two players are seated, and colours swap every game so the first-move advantage alternates. You get 40 seconds per move and every move is checked on the server. Chat with quick messages and emoji, and translate your opponent's messages with one tap. A win earns +20 and a draw +5 online points.

Tips and strategy

• Take the crossroads while placing: the four midpoints of the middle square connect in four directions and are the most flexible points on the board. Corners only have two neighbours, and pieces piled into corners get blocked easily later on.
• Don't rush your first mill: forming a mill during placement is tempting, but it's easy to block. Spreading out and keeping room to move pays off far more in the moving phase.
• Make two threats at once: if one piece creates two open pairs on different lines, your opponent can only block one of them. That's the strongest weapon in the placing phase.
• Build a double mill: set up a piece that can shuttle between two mills. Every move opens one mill and closes the other, taking a piece each time unless your opponent can break it up.
• Count your free moves: in the moving phase, empty neighbouring points matter as much as the number of pieces. Surrounding and blocking your opponent's pieces wins the game without a single capture.
• Watch out for flyers: once your opponent is down to 3 pieces they can land anywhere. Make sure every open pair of theirs is covered after each move, since one gap can turn the game around.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove a piece that is in a mill? Normally no. If your opponent has pieces outside mills, you must take one of those. Only when all their pieces are in mills can you take any of them.
If I make two mills at once, do I remove two pieces? No, a single move removes only one piece, even if it closes two mills.
Is the flying rule mandatory? Flying is on at online tables and by default. Against the computer you can turn it off in the setup window; then a player with 3 pieces can still only slide to neighbouring points.
Why did my game end in a draw? The same position appeared for the third time or no piece was removed for a long time. The end-of-game window tells you the reason.
Can I play with a friend on the same phone? Yes. Choose Two players in the setup window and take turns.
Where can I read the rules in more detail? Our guide "How to play Nine Men's Morris" in the Guides section has example positions and winning tactics.

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