Nine Men's Morris – The Strategy of the Ancients

Nine Men's Morris (or "The Mill Game") is a strategy board game with a lineage older than the Roman Empire. Evidence of its boards has been found etched into the stones of ancient temples in Egypt and Sri Lanka, and on the seats of cathedrals in medieval Europe. When you play this game, you are sharing an intellectual link with thinkers from thousands of years ago.

Despite its age, the gameplay feels incredibly modern and sharp. It is played on a grid of three concentric squares connected by lines. Each player gets nine pieces ("men"). The goal is simple but brutal: reduce your opponent to two pieces, or block them so they cannot move. To do this, you must form "Mills"—three of your pieces in a row.

Three Phases of War

Unlike Chess, Nine Men's Morris evolves through distinct phases.
Phase 1: Placing. You and your opponent take turns placing your men on the board. This is where you set your traps. Try to form mills immediately, but also block your opponent from doing the same.
Phase 2: Moving. Once all pieces are down, you slide them along the lines to adjacent empty spots. This is a battle of maneuvering.
Phase 3: Flying. If a player is reduced to just three pieces, they gain the ability to "fly" to any empty spot on the board, adding a desperate, chaotic twist to the endgame.

Tactical Mastery

The core mechanic is the "Mill." When you align three pieces, you get to remove *any* one of your opponent's pieces from the board (provided it is not part of a mill itself). This removal is permanent. The most devastating strategy is the "Double Mill," where you slide a piece back and forth between two mills, removing an opponent's piece on every single turn.

Why Play This Classic?

Nine Men's Morris is less complex than Chess but deeper than Tic Tac Toe. It occupies a perfect middle ground for strategy lovers. It teaches forward thinking and spatial control. The rules can be learned in one minute, but mastering the "flying" phase takes a lifetime.