Nine Men's Morris is one of the oldest board games still played today — boards resembling it have been found carved into ancient stone dating back thousands of years. It's a pure abstract strategy game: no luck, no hidden information, just two players placing and moving pieces on a grid, trying to line up three in a row to form a "mill" and remove an opponent's piece from the board.
If you grew up playing it on a hand-drawn board, or you've just heard the name and want to see what the fuss is about, RivalPit has a free version you can play instantly in your browser.
How it plays
- Placing phase. Each player takes turns placing nine pieces on the board's intersections, trying to set up future mills.
- Form a mill, remove a piece. Line up three of your pieces in a row along a line on the board to remove one of your opponent's pieces.
- Moving phase. Once all pieces are placed, players take turns sliding a piece to an adjacent empty point, continuing to try to form and re-form mills.
- Win by reducing your opponent. Get your opponent down to two pieces, or block them so they can't move, and you win.
Play free, right now
No download, no account required to try it as a guest — open RivalPit on desktop or phone and you're playing in seconds. Sign up free if you want your stats saved between games.
A different kind of strategy game
If you like games like Checkers or Othello, Nine Men's Morris scratches a similar itch but with its own distinct rhythm — the placing phase rewards patient setup, and the moving phase turns into a tight tactical fight over which mills you can open and close.