Play Nine Men's Morris Online

Form mills (lines of three) to capture your opponent's stones. Place, slide, and fly across three concentric squares. Play vs AI at three levels or pass-and-play with a friend.

Turn
⚫ Black
Phase
Placing
⚫
9
⚪
9

Place a stone on any empty point

Black wins!

What Is Nine Men's Morris?

Nine Men's Morris — also known as Mills, Merels, Merelles, or Mühle — is one of the oldest board games in human history. Archaeological evidence shows it was played in ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, and medieval Europe. The game is played on a distinctive board of three concentric squares connected at their midpoints, creating 24 intersections where stones can be placed.

Each player controls 9 stones. The object is to form mills — lines of three stones along the board's lines — which allow you to capture (remove) one of your opponent's stones. Reduce your opponent to fewer than 3 stones or block all their pieces to win.

How to Play Nine Men's Morris

The game has three distinct phases:

Phase 1 — Placing

  1. Players alternate turns, placing one stone at a time on any empty intersection.
  2. Each player has 9 stones to place (18 placements total).
  3. If you complete a mill (three of your stones in a straight line), you remove one of your opponent's stones from the board.
  4. You cannot remove a stone that is part of an opponent's mill — unless all their stones are in mills.

Phase 2 — Moving (Sliding)

  1. After all stones are placed, players take turns sliding one of their stones along a line to an adjacent empty point.
  2. Forming a mill still lets you remove an opponent stone.
  3. You can "open" and "close" a mill repeatedly — slide a stone out of a mill on one turn, then slide it back to re-form the mill on your next turn.

Phase 3 — Flying

  1. When a player is reduced to only 3 stones, they gain the ability to fly — moving a stone to any empty point, not just adjacent ones.
  2. This gives the disadvantaged player a powerful comeback mechanic, as flying makes it much easier to form mills.

Winning

A player wins when their opponent:

  • Is reduced to fewer than 3 stones (after the placing phase), or
  • Has no legal moves — all their pieces are blocked.

Nine Men's Morris Strategy Tips

1. Control the Junctions

The board's most valuable positions are the junction points — the 8 intersections where the connecting lines meet the squares (positions with 4 neighbours). Stones on junctions participate in more potential mills and offer greater sliding flexibility. Prioritise these points during the placing phase.

2. Set Up Double Mills Early

A double mill (also called a "seesaw" or "running mill") is the most powerful structure in Nine Men's Morris. It consists of two mills sharing a common stone. By sliding that shared stone back and forth, you form a mill every single turn, capturing an opponent stone each time. Setting up a double mill usually wins the game.

3. Don't Rush to Form Mills During Placement

Beginners often try to complete mills as quickly as possible during Phase 1. A better approach is to place stones in strategically flexible positions — points that contribute to multiple potential mills. This gives you more options later and makes it harder for your opponent to block everything.

4. Block Your Opponent's Mills

If your opponent has two stones in a line with the third point empty, that's a threat. Place a stone on the empty point to block the mill — but only if you can do so without sacrificing your own development. Sometimes it's better to let them form a mill while you build a stronger position.

5. Target Isolated Stones for Removal

When you form a mill and get to remove an opponent stone, choose wisely. Remove stones that: are part of a potential double mill, sit on junctions, or are needed to block your mills. Avoid removing stones that are already isolated and harmless.

6. Keep Stones Connected During the Moving Phase

In Phase 2, mobility matters. Stones that are adjacent to multiple empty points can slide to more destinations. Avoid leaving stones stranded in corners with no adjacent moves. A player who runs out of moves loses — even if they still have more than 3 stones.

History of Nine Men's Morris

Nine Men's Morris is one of the oldest known board games. Board carvings have been found in the temple at Kurna, Egypt (dating to around 1400 BCE), on Roman tiles, and throughout medieval European sites. The game was immensely popular in medieval England — the name "Morris" likely derives from the Latin word merellus (a counter or gaming piece).

References appear in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (c. 1595), where Titania laments that "The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud." The game has been played on every inhabited continent and remains popular today, particularly in Central Europe (as Mühle) and parts of Africa and South Asia.

In 2007, computer scientists at the University of Alberta (the same team that solved checkers) computationally solved Nine Men's Morris. They proved that with perfect play by both sides, the game is a draw. The computation required evaluating billions of board positions. Despite being "solved," the game remains deeply engaging for human players — the vast number of possible positions means mistakes are inevitable, and strategy makes a real difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nine Men's Morris (also called Mills, Merels, or Mühle) is a two-player strategy board game dating back thousands of years. It is played on a board with three concentric squares connected by lines, creating 24 intersection points. Each player has 9 stones. The game has three phases: placing stones, sliding them along lines, and "flying" when down to 3 pieces. The goal is to form "mills" (lines of three) to capture opponent stones until they have fewer than three or cannot move.
A mill is formed when you place three of your stones in a straight line along one of the board's connected lines. When you complete a mill, you may remove one of your opponent's stones from the board — but you cannot remove a stone that is currently part of an opponent's mill unless no other stones are available.
Phase 1 (Placing): Players alternate placing one stone at a time on any empty point. Phase 2 (Moving): After all 18 stones are placed, players take turns sliding one stone along a line to an adjacent empty point. Phase 3 (Flying): When a player is reduced to only 3 stones, that player may "fly" — moving a stone to any empty point on the board, not just adjacent ones.
You win by reducing your opponent to fewer than 3 stones (so they can no longer form mills), or by blocking all of your opponent's stones so they have no legal moves. The key is to form mills to capture opponent stones while protecting your own from capture.
Yes! This version is fully mobile-optimised. Tap to place stones, select pieces, and choose destinations. The board scales to fit any screen size with large, easy-to-tap intersection points.
Yes. In 2007, researchers at the University of Alberta computationally solved Nine Men's Morris, proving that with perfect play from both sides, the game always ends in a draw. However, in practice the game is rich enough that mistakes are common, and good strategy makes a significant difference.

More Puzzle & Strategy Games

If you enjoy Nine Men's Morris, check out these other free games on our site:

Gomoku

Five in a Row — place stones on a 15×15 board. Play vs AI or a friend.

Reversi

Classic disc-flipping strategy — play vs AI or a friend.