One of the world's oldest board games. Form mills, capture pieces, and outwit the AI.
Defeated the AI
Nine Men's Morris (also known as Mills, Merels, or Cowboy Checkers) is one of the world's oldest strategy board games, with evidence of play dating back over 3,000 years. The game is played on a distinctive board of three concentric squares connected by lines at their midpoints, creating 24 intersection points where pieces can be placed.
Two players each start with nine pieces and take turns in three phases: placement, movement, and flying. The objective is to form "mills" (lines of three) to capture opponent pieces, ultimately reducing them to two pieces or blocking all their moves.
The game progresses through three distinct phases:
Players take turns placing pieces on the board's 24 intersection points. When you form a line of three (a "mill"), you remove one of your opponent's pieces. After all pieces are placed, you slide them along lines. When down to 3 pieces, you can fly anywhere. Win by reducing your opponent to 2 pieces or trapping them.
Focus on controlling intersection points, especially where multiple lines cross. Create "double mills" where one move opens one mill and closes another, capturing a piece every turn. Keep pieces flexible and mobile rather than locked into static formations. Remove opponent pieces that threaten mill formations.
Nine Men's Morris dates back to at least 1400 BCE, with boards carved into the roofing slabs of the temple at Kurna in Egypt. The game was popular throughout the Roman Empire, medieval Europe, and Viking settlements. Shakespeare referenced it in A Midsummer Night's Dream, making it one of the longest continuously played board games in history.
Last Updated March 2026