How to play Nine Men’s Morris

The goal

Placing

• You have the light pieces and go first. Each side has nine pieces waiting in its tray.
• Take turns placing one piece on any empty point. Tap a point to place there.
• Once all eighteen are placed, the game moves on to moving.

Moving and flying

• On your turn, move one piece along a line to the empty point next to it. Tap a piece, then a lit point, or drag it there.
• When you’re down to three pieces, yours fly: any of them can move to any empty point. The same goes for the computer.

Mills

• Three of your pieces in a row along a line is a mill. Each time you form one, you take one of the computer’s pieces.
• After forming a mill, the pieces you may take glow red with a ring around them: tap one. Tap your moved piece instead to take the move back.
• You can’t take a piece from a mill unless every one of its pieces is in a mill. Forming two mills at once still takes just one piece.
• Moving a piece out of a mill and back in forms it again.

Winning and draws

• You win when the computer is down to two pieces, or when it can’t make a move. The same holds against you.
• The game is drawn if the same position comes up a third time, or after 50 moves each with no piece taken.
• Resign gives the game to the computer. Starting a new game partway counts as a loss.

Levels and undo

• Easy looks only a move ahead and makes mistakes. Normal plans a few moves ahead. Hard searches deep.
• Undo takes back your last move and the computer’s reply.

Questions

Strategy guides