What you need
A morris board: three squares, one inside the other, joined by lines through the middle of each side. The 24 places where lines meet or turn are the points. Each player has nine pieces, called men, in their own colour. Our printable board includes 18 men to cut out; coins of two kinds work just as well.
The game dates back at least to the Roman Empire and has many names: mill, merels, morris. In German-speaking countries it is still a household classic called Mühle.
Setup
The board starts empty. Each player takes their nine men in hand. Decide who plays first, usually by lot, and alternate the first player between games.
How to play
The game has three phases.
Phase 1: placing
Players take turns placing one man on any empty point. If you place a man so that three of your men stand in a straight line along one of the drawn lines, you have formed a mill. Forming a mill lets you immediately remove one of your opponent’s men from the board. You may not take a man that is part of an opponent’s mill unless every one of their men is in a mill.
Removed men are out of the game. The placing phase ends when both players have put all nine men down (or as many as survive).
Phase 2: moving
Players now take turns sliding one of their men along a line to an adjacent empty point. Men cannot jump. Every time a move forms a new mill, you remove one enemy man, with the same restriction as before.
You may “open” a mill by moving a man out of it and close it again on a later turn by moving it back. Each time it closes, it counts as a new mill.
Phase 3: flying
When a player is down to three men, those men may “fly”: on each move, one man can go to any empty point on the board, not only an adjacent one. Some older rule books treat flying as optional; most modern players use it.
Scoring and winning
You win when your opponent:
- has only two men left, so they can never form a mill again; or
- cannot make a legal move on their turn because all their men are blocked.
If neither side can make progress, the players may agree a draw. With perfect play, computers have shown the game itself is a draw.
Common variants
- No flying: the third phase is skipped and three men move like any others.
- Three men’s morris: three men each on a 3×3 grid; place them as in tic-tac-toe, then slide them until someone makes a line of three.
- Six men’s morris: six men each, played without the outer square. No flying. Popular in medieval Europe.
- Twelve men’s morris: four diagonal lines are added and each player has twelve men, so the board can fill up during placing, which is a draw. In South Africa it is played as the sport morabaraba.
- Lasker morris: devised by chess champion Emanuel Lasker. Ten men each, and from the start you may either place a new man or move one already on the board.
Tips for first games
- During placing, spread your men to versatile points such as the middle of each side, rather than rushing to make a mill.
- A man on a crossing point (where four lines meet) has more moves later than one in a corner.
- Aim for a “running mill”: two mills that share a gap, so that one move opens one mill and closes the other, removing a man every turn.
- Block your opponent’s two-in-a-row before it becomes a mill, especially in the moving phase.
- Count the men. Once you reach three, flying makes you dangerous again, so do not give up.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove a man that is in a mill? Only if every one of your opponent’s men is in a mill.
Does forming two mills at once remove two men? Rule books differ on this, so agree before you start.
Can I use the same mill twice? Yes. Open it on one turn and close it on a later turn to score again.
What happens if I cannot move? You lose, unless you are allowed to fly.
Do diagonal lines count? Not on the standard board, which has none. Twelve men’s morris adds diagonals.
