Nine Men's Morris

• Nine Men's Morris is an ancient strategic board game involving two players, aiming to form mills to capture opponent's pieces. It is not only the most prominent of all mill games, but also one of the oldest games in history, played all around the world.

History of the Game

• Nine Men's Morris, also known as "merels," has a rich history dating back to ancient times. The game dates from at least the late Roman Empire, with boards discovered in temples and other historical sites.
• The earliest known diagram of Nine Men's Morris was found in an Egyptian temple in Kurna, Egypt, dating back to around 1440 BC.
• It is believed that in some cultures the square had symbolic meanings. For example, to the ancient Celts, the Morris square was sacred. The central square known as the Cauldron or Mill was a symbol of regeneration while the lines and squares coming out from the middle were symbols of "the four cardinal directions, the four elements and the four winds".
• In the early 12th century, the game was notably mentioned in the Rule of the Templar order, indicating its significance during the medieval period. It was the only board game allowed to be played by Templar brothers, as it was considered less prone to gambling.
• By the late 13th century, it appeared in King Alfonso X of Castile's Libro de los Juegos, a comprehensive book on games, which included rules for Nine Men's Morris played with dice. The game was popular in medieval Europe, often depicted in manuscripts and played by nobility and common folk alike.
• In England, the game was associated with rustic life and famously mentioned in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," illustrating its cultural penetration.
• It spread across continents, reaching as far as China via the Silk Roads during the Ming Dynasty.

Gameplay

• Nine Men's Morris is played on a board with three concentric squares connected by lines at the midpoints of their sides, forming a grid with 24 intersections or points. Each player has nine pieces (with a color/shape distinguishable from those of the opponent) which are initially placed on the board through alternating turns.
• At the placement phase players take turns placing their pieces on any empty point. The objective during this phase is to form a "mill"—three of their pieces in a straight line. Forming a mill allows a player to remove one of the opponent's pieces from the board, provided it is not part of a mill.
• Once all pieces are placed, the game proceeds to the movement phase where players take turns to move their pieces, one at a time, to adjacent points. Players continue to form mills to capture opponent's pieces. A piece can only be moved along the lines to an adjacent empty point. If a player forms a mill, they again remove an opponent's piece.
• The game transitions to a final phase when a player is reduced to three pieces. These pieces can "fly," meaning the player can move one of them, when it is his/her turn, to any empty point on the board. The game ends when a player cannot make a legal move or is reduced to two pieces, thus losing the game.

Variations

• Numerous variations of Nine Men's Morris exist, such as Twelve Men's Morris, played with twelve pieces on a larger board; and Three Men's Morris, a simpler version played with three pieces per player. The game also has several local variations with slightly different rules and many alternate board designs.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_men%27s_morris
• http://gamescrafters.berkeley.edu/games.php?game=ninemensmorris
• https://games.porg.es/games/nine-mens-morris/
• http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/aura/shared_files/Berger1.pdf
• https://www.centro-studi-triplice-cinta.com/studi-e-ricerche/altre-lingue-other-languages/the-merels-board-enigma/