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 sign-up
At a glance
- Category
- Board & classics
- Controls
- mouse or finger
- Price
- free
- Sign-up
- not required
Yes. Nine Men's Morris is played against the computer here, across several strengths from easy to very strong. A win also pays chips into your account.
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
- 1The junctions with four neighbours are worth most – they sit in two possible mills.
- 2Build a double mill: two mills that open and close alternately will decide the game.
- 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 is no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought. The site is funded by advertising, which appears only if you agree to it.
Do I need an account to play Nine Men's Morris?
No. The home page offers “play now without an account” – that starts you straight away and your progress stays in this browser. An account is only worth it if you want the same progress on several devices; name and PIN are enough, and we never ask for an email address. A guest profile can be turned into an account at any time without losing anything.
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.
Do I have to download anything to play Nine Men's Morris?
No. Nine Men's Morris runs in the browser – on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone alike. There is no app, no plugin and nothing to install.
Can I play Nine Men's Morris against the computer?
Yes. Nine Men's Morris is played against the computer here, across several strengths from easy to very strong. A win also pays chips into your account.
Does Nine Men's Morris work without an internet connection?
The page has to load once; after that the game itself runs entirely in your browser and needs no connection. If you use an account, your progress syncs again as soon as you are back online.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Nine Men's Morris.
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