A game of Nine Men's Morris. Even if it's black's turn, white can win by moving from e3 to d3 and back again twice, removing a black piece each time a row of three is formed. |
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| Players | 2 |
|---|---|
| Age range | Any |
| Setup time | < 1 minute |
| Playing time | < 1 hour |
| Random chance | None |
| Skill(s) required | Strategy |
Nine Men's Morris is an abstract strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman Empire.[1] The game is also known as Nine Man Morris, Mill, Mills, Merels, Merelles, and Merrills in English.
Three Men's Morris, Six Men's Morris and Twelve Men's Morris are variants of Nine Men's Morris; see below.
Contents |
Each player has nine pieces, or "men", which move among the board's twenty-four spots. The object of the game is to leave the opposing player with fewer than three pieces or, as in checkers, no legal moves.
The game begins with an empty board. Players take turns placing their pieces on empty spots. If a player is able to form a straight row of three pieces along one of the board's lines (i.e. not diagonally), he has a "mill" and may remove one of his opponent's pieces from the board; removed pieces may not be placed again. Players must remove any other pieces first before removing a piece from a formed mill. Once all eighteen pieces have been used, players take turns moving.
To move, a player slides one of his pieces along a board line to an empty adjacent spot. If he cannot do so, he has lost the game.
As in the placement stage, a player who aligns three of his pieces on a board line has a mill and may remove one of his opponent's pieces, avoiding the removal of pieces in mills if at all possible.
Any player reduced to two pieces is unable to remove any more opposing pieces and thus loses the game.
In one common variation, once a player is reduced to three pieces, his pieces may "fly", "hop"[2][3] or "jump"[4] to any empty spots, not only adjacent ones. Some sources of the rules say this is the way the game is played,[3][4] some treat it as a variation,[2][5][6][7] and some don't mention it at all.[8] A '19th Century Games Manual' calls this the "truly rustic mode of playing the game".[2]
At the beginning of the game, it is more important to place pieces in versatile locations rather than to try to form mills immediately and make the mistake of concentrating one's pieces in one area of the board.[9]
An ideal position, which typically results in a win, is to be able to shuttle one piece back and forth between two mills, removing a piece every turn. For example, in the diagram above, white can win the game even if black moves first.
| Six Men's Morris gives each player six pieces and is played without the outer square found on the board of Nine Men's Morris. Flying is not allowed.[10] It was popular in Italy, France and England during the Middle Ages but was obsolete by 1600.[10] This board is also used for Five Men's Morris. Seven Men's Morris uses this board with a cross in the center. |
| Twelve Men's Morris adds four diagonal lines to the board and gives each player twelve pieces. This means the board can be filled in the placement stage; if this happens the game is a draw. This variation on the game is popular amongst rural youth in South Africa where it is known as Morabaraba and is now recognized as a sport in that country. The same board is also used for Eleven Men's Morris. |
According to R. C. Bell, the earliest known board for the game includes diagonal lines and was "cut into the roofing slabs of the temple at Kurna in Egypt" c. 1400 BCE.[10] However, Friedrich Berger writes that some of the diagrams at Kurna include Coptic crosses, making it "doubtful" that the diagrams date to 1400 BCE. Berger concludes, "certainly they cannot be dated."[1]
One of the earliest mentions of the game may be in Ovid's Ars Amatoria.[1][10] In book III (c. 8 CE), after discussing Latrones, a popular board game, Ovid wrote:
Berger believes the game was "probably well known by the Romans", as there are many boards on Roman buildings, even though dating them is impossible because the buildings "have been easily accessible" since they were built. It is possible that the Romans were introduced to the game via trade routes, but this cannot be proven.[1]
The game peaked in popularity in medieval England.[2] Boards have been found carved into the cloister seats at the English cathedrals at Canterbury, Gloucester, Norwich, Salisbury and Westminster Abbey.[10] These boards used holes, not lines, to represent the nine spaces on the board — hence the name "nine holes" — and forming a diagonal row did not win the game.[11] Another board is carved into the base of a pillar in Chester Cathedral in Chester.[12]
In Shakespeare's 16th century work A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titania laments that it is no longer played: "The nine men's morris is filled up with mud" (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene I).
Some authors say the game's origin is uncertain.[2] It has been speculated that its name may be related to Morris dances, and hence to Moorish, but according to Daniel King, "the word 'morris' has nothing to do with the old English dance of the same name. It comes from the Latin word merellus, which means a counter or gaming piece."[8] King also notes that the game was popular among Roman soldiers.
In some European countries, the design of the board was given special significance as a symbol of protection from evil,[1] and "to the ancient Celts, the Morris Square was sacred: at the center lay the holy Mill or Cauldron, a symbol of regeneration; and emanating out from it, the four cardinal directions, the four elements and the four winds."[2]
This game is also known as "Cowboy Checkers" and was once printed on the back of checkerboards.