How to Win at Mill: Nine Men's Morris Strategy
Mill, also called nine men's morris, has three phases: placing pieces, moving them and flying when you are down to three. Each needs its own plan. Forming a mill lets you take a rival piece, and you win by leaving your rival with two pieces or no legal move. These tips cover all three phases against the computer or a friend.
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Place for mobility
During placing, do not rush to make a mill. The points where lines cross in the middle square have four neighbours, while corner points have only two. Pieces on strong points stay mobile later and can join several lines. A player who places all nine pieces in a cramped group often loses in the moving phase because nothing can move.
Build two threats
A mill threat is two pieces on a line with the third point empty. Your rival can block one threat, but not two at once. Look for a placement that creates two open lines together. Also block every threat your rival makes, ideally with a piece that is useful for your own lines too. Watch for the same idea from your rival and break up any point where two of their lines meet.
Make a mill you can reopen
In the moving phase, the strongest setup is a mill you can open and close again. Move one piece out of the mill to a neighbouring point, then back in on the next turn to form the mill again and take another piece. Even better is a double mill, where one move closes a mill whichever way the piece goes.
Choose what to take
When you form a mill, take a rival piece that is not in a mill, unless all of them are. Take pieces that were about to complete a mill, or that block your best lines. Taking pieces that limit your rival's movement can win by blockade: if they have no legal move, they lose.
Handle the flying phase
With three pieces left, a player may fly to any empty point, which makes them dangerous again. If you are the one with three, look for any two-in-a-line and fly the third in. If your rival is flying, keep every one of their open lines blocked and create two threats of your own so they cannot stop both.
Questions
- Can a game of Mill end in a draw?
- Yes. If a long run of moves passes without any piece being taken, the game ends as a draw.
- Can I undo a move?
- Yes. Press the Undo button or U on a keyboard to take back a move, which is useful for learning.
- Can I drag pieces?
- Yes. In the moving phase you can drag a piece to a neighbouring point, or tap it and then tap the destination.
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