Board & classics

Play Nine Men's Morris online

Three phases in one game: place nine pieces, then slide along the lines, and once you are down to three you may fly. Every mill you close costs the opponent a piece. Drop below three pieces or run out of moves and you lose.

Play Nine Men's Morris nowFree · no download · no ads

Where Nine Men's Morris comes from

Nine men's morris is ancient: a board is carved into a roofing slab of an Egyptian temple, Roman excavations show the same lines, and medieval European churches have morris boards cut into pews and walls. Shakespeare mentions it in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It too has been solved by computer: with perfect play the game is a draw.

How it works

First you take turns placing nine pieces each. Then you slide them to free neighbouring points.

Three in a row is a mill: you may then remove one of your opponent's pieces – but not one that is itself in a mill, as long as others are free.

With only three pieces left you may jump. Drop below three, or run out of moves, and you lose.

Three tips for better results

  1. 1The junctions with four neighbours are worth most – they sit in two possible mills.
  2. 2Build a double mill: two mills that open and close alternately will decide the game.
  3. 3Remove a piece from an almost complete mill rather than a loose one.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nine Men's Morris free to play?

Yes. Nine Men's Morris runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There are no ads and no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought.

Do I need an account to play Nine Men's Morris?

You create a profile with a name and a PIN, but no account is created on anybody else's server. Scores, chips, achievements and unlocked motifs live only in your own browser.

How do you play Nine Men's Morris?

First you take turns placing nine pieces each. Then you slide them to free neighbouring points.

Where does Nine Men's Morris come from?

Nine men's morris is ancient: a board is carved into a roofing slab of an Egyptian temple, Roman excavations show the same lines, and medieval European churches have morris boards cut into pews and walls. Shakespeare mentions it in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It too has been solved by computer: with perfect play the game is a draw.

Does Nine Men's Morris work on a phone?

The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.

Also known as

These are the terms people use to look for Nine Men's Morris.

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