How to Play Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men’s Morris is an ancient game with an unknown origin. Historic boards have been found in Troy, Ireland, and Egypt. The Romans took it across its empire and it has even found it’s way on the back of Viking Hnefatafl boards.
Step 1: Setup the Board
- Black starts the placement phase of the game.
- Each player gets 9 pieces and take turns placing them on the board.
- Pieces should be placed on any place where there is an intersection of lines (corners included).
Step 2: Learn the Rules
- Black starts the movement phase of the game.
- A piece can move along a line to an adjacent point.
- When a player has 3 of its own pieces in a row (called a mill), the player can then remove one of the opponent’s pieces from the board.
- You can not remove an opponent’s piece if it is part of a mill.
- If a player is down to 3 pieces, they can move a piece to any vacant spot on the board.
The first player to capture all but 2 of the opponent pieces wins .
Step 3: Switch
There is a slight advantage to the first player so switching who starts first will balance out the game.