Mill

Nine Men's Morris (also called Mill) is a classic two-player board game that has been played for centuries in Europe. It combines strategy, tactics, and a bit of foresight—similar to chess or checkers, but with simpler rules

The Game Board

• The board consists of three nested squares connected by lines
• There are a total of 24 intersections where the playing pieces can be placed

Game Pieces

• Each player receives 9 playing pieces (usually black and white)

Gameplay

The game is divided into three phases:

1. Placing Phase

• Players alternately place one of their pieces on an empty intersection
• Goal: Form or prepare as many three-in-a-row formations (“mills”) as possible
• As soon as a player closes a mill (three pieces in a row), they may remove an opponent's piece from the board—however, only if it is not part of a closed mill (unless all opponent's pieces are in mills)

2. Moving Phase

• Once all pieces are placed, they are moved: Each player may move one of their pieces along the lines to an adjacent empty point
• Here too: If a mill is formed by moving, an opponent's piece may be removed

3. Flying Phase

• If a player has only three pieces left, they may “fly”:
  Their pieces may now jump to any empty point on the board (not just adjacent fields)
• This keeps the game exciting, even if a player has almost lost

Goal of the Game

• The winner is the player who reduces the opponent to fewer than three pieces or blocks them so that they cannot make any more moves