Nine Men's Morris is played on 24 points with nine stones per side, and White moves first. Every turn begins with one placement or move. If that action forms a new mill, the same player must capture one legal opponent stone before the turn passes.
Identify the Current Phase First
Place one stone on any empty point each turn; stones already on the board cannot move.
Move one of your stones along a board line to an adjacent empty point each turn.
That side may move any stone directly to any empty point, whether adjacent or not.
Complete a Turn in This Order
- Place or move one stone
- Check whether the action formed a new mill
- If it did, remove one legal opponent stoneIf no mill formed, skip this step
- Pass the turn to the opponent
Read the Points and Lines
The board consists of three concentric squares joined at the midpoints, creating 24 playable points. Stones belong on the points, not inside the open spaces. During placement, select an empty point. During movement, select one of your stones and then one of its highlighted legal destinations.
Two points are adjacent only when one uninterrupted board line connects them directly. There are 16 possible mill lines: 12 sides across the three squares, plus four straight lines through their midpoints. A mill requires one player to occupy all three points on one of those lines. Diagonal groups do not count.
Phase One: Place All Nine Stones
The board starts empty. Players alternate placing one stone on any empty point until neither has a stone left in hand. Stones already on the board cannot move during this phase, even when blocked. Each turn adds exactly one stone before any required capture.
Suppose White already occupies the top-left corner and top midpoint of the outer square. Placing on the top-right corner completes the top-edge mill. White must now capture one legal Black stone before Black's turn begins. Even when one placement completes two mills at once, it still earns only one capture.
A New Mill Adds One Capture to the Turn
When a placement or move completes a new mill, remove one opponent stone immediately. If the opponent has any stone outside a mill, the capture must come from those unprotected stones. A stone inside a mill becomes a legal target only when every opponent stone on the board is in a mill.
Move to Adjacent Points; Fly Only with Three Stones
Phase two begins after both players have placed all nine stones. Move one of your stones along a board line to a directly adjacent empty point; ordinary movement cannot skip a point or jump over a stone. A player with exactly three stones remaining enters phase three and may move to any empty point. This permission applies only to that player. An opponent with four or more stones must still move to adjacent points.
A move that forms a new mill still requires an immediate capture. A stone may also leave an existing mill and return on a later turn to form it again. Each time the mill is newly completed, it earns one capture under the same target restrictions.
Win by Reducing or Blocking the Opponent
After placement is complete, a player loses upon being reduced to two stones because another mill is no longer possible. A player also loses when their turn begins with every stone blocked and no legal move available. In an online room, a resignation ends the game immediately, while an accepted draw offer ends it without a winner.
Questions That Arise in a First Game
What should I select when my turn begins?
During placement, select an empty point. During movement, select one of your stones and then a highlighted adjacent destination. During flying, select one of your stones and then any highlighted empty point. If the action forms a mill, finish the turn by selecting one of the highlighted opponent stones. The highlighted choices are the legal targets for the current step.
I formed a mill. Why is it still my turn?
Capturing is part of the same turn as forming the mill. You must select and remove one legal opponent stone before the system passes the turn to your opponent.
Can I remove a stone that is already in a mill?
Only if every remaining opponent stone is in a mill. Otherwise you must take a stone that is not part of a mill.
Does flying begin when I have three stones left in hand?
No. Placement must be complete, and your side must have exactly three stones remaining on the board before you may move a stone to any empty point. If either player still has a stone waiting to be placed, the placement rules continue to apply.
