The mill-game family
Nine Men’s Morris and its Southern African cousin
Nine Men’s Morris, also called Mill, Mühle or Merels, has a close relative in Southern Africa: Morabaraba, the game English-language references call Twelve Men’s Morris. Same three squares, three more pieces a side, and diagonal lines. Here is how they compare, and what you can play here today.
Can you play Nine Men’s Morris here?
Yes. When you start a game, choose Nine Men’s Morris as your board to play the computer or a friend on the same device. In the online lobby pick it to find an opponent, challenge a player or share an invite link. It plays the standard rules: nine pieces each, no diagonal lines, one piece removed per mill even when a move closes two, a piece in a mill safe unless all of that player’s pieces are in mills, flying with your last three, and a loss at two pieces or when you cannot move. It has its own rating. The Grand Master plays only Morabaraba for now.
The site’s home game is Morabaraba, the Southern African variant, in two rule sets: Traditional (Twelve Men’s Morris) and Koti. If you already know Nine Men’s Morris, Morabaraba plays the way you expect: place, move, make mills, fly with your last three. You have three more pieces, and the diagonals give you four more mills to make and to block.
Two boards, one family
Both games use 24 points on three nested squares. Morabaraba draws a diagonal through each set of corners, which changes how pieces move and where mills can form.
What is Nine Men’s Morris?
Nine Men’s Morris is a two-player mill game. Each player has nine pieces. You take turns placing them on the 24 points of the board, then take turns sliding them along the lines to a neighbouring empty point. Three of your pieces in a straight line is a mill, and each mill lets you remove one of your opponent’s pieces.
It is best known in Europe, where it goes by Mill in English, Mühle in German and Merels or Merrills in older English. Read the full Nine Men’s Morris rules, explained.
How Morabaraba relates
Morabaraba is the mill game of South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana, known in isiZulu as umlabalaba and in Setswana-speaking communities as mmela. English-language references call it Twelve Men’s Morris. It keeps the Nine Men’s Morris board, adds diagonal lines through the corners, and gives each player twelve pieces.
The pieces are spoken of as cows (dikgomo), each player keeps a herd, and the board echoes a cattle kraal seen from above. With twelve cows a side, a placement phase with no captures fills all 24 points, so the opening is tighter than in the nine-piece game. More in Morabaraba vs Nine Men’s Morris: what’s different.
The rules side by side
| Rule | Nine Men’s Morris | Morabaraba (Twelve Men’s Morris) |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Mill, Mühle, Merels or Merrills | Twelve Men’s Morris; umlabalaba, mmela and other regional names |
| Where it is played | Best known in Europe | South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana |
| Board | 24 points on three nested squares, joined at the midpoints | The same 24 points, plus diagonal lines through the corners |
| Diagonal lines | None | Four, one through each set of corners |
| Pieces per player | 9 | 12, spoken of as cows |
| Ways to make a mill | 16 | 20: the same 16 plus four along the diagonals |
| After placement | At most 18 of the 24 points are filled | All 24 points can fill if nobody has captured |
| Capturing | A mill removes one opposing piece; a piece in a mill is safe unless every piece is in one | The same in Traditional rules. Lesotho’s Koti board leaves no piece safe |
| Down to three pieces | Many rule sets let that player fly to any empty point, and this site does | That player flies to any empty point |
| You lose when | You are down to two pieces, or cannot move | You are down to two pieces, or cannot move |
| Play it on this site | Yes: against the computer, on one device or online | Yes: against the computer or online |
Rules for both games vary from place to place; this table follows the common rules for Nine Men’s Morris and this site’s Morabaraba rules.
Common questions
Is Morabaraba the same game as Nine Men’s Morris?
No, but they are close relatives. Both are mill games played on the same three nested squares. Nine Men’s Morris gives each player 9 pieces and has no diagonal lines. Morabaraba, which English-language references call Twelve Men’s Morris, gives each player 12 pieces and adds diagonal lines through the corners.
Can I play Nine Men’s Morris on morabaraba.co.za?
Yes. Choose Nine Men’s Morris when you pick a board to play the computer or a friend on the same device, or pick it in the online lobby to find an opponent, send a challenge or share an invite link. It plays the standard rules: 9 pieces each, no diagonal lines, one piece removed per mill even when a move closes two, a piece in a mill safe unless all of that player’s pieces are in mills, flying with your last three pieces, and a loss at two pieces or when you cannot move. It has its own rating, kept apart from Morabaraba’s. The Grand Master, the site’s strongest online opponent, plays only Morabaraba for now. The site’s home game is Morabaraba, in its Traditional (Twelve Men’s Morris) and Koti rule sets.
What are Mill, Mühle and Merels?
Other names for Nine Men’s Morris: Mill and Merels (also spelled Merrills) in English, and Mühle in German.
What is Twelve Men’s Morris?
Twelve Men’s Morris is the name English-language references give the 24-point mill game with diagonal lines and 12 pieces a side: the game played in Southern Africa as Morabaraba. On this site it is the Traditional rule set.
Why are Morabaraba pieces called cows?
In Southern Africa the pieces are spoken of as cows (dikgomo), and the board echoes a cattle kraal seen from above. Each player keeps a herd of twelve.
Play the Southern African variant
Morabaraba is free to play against the computer or against people online, with no sign-up needed to start.
Further reading: the mill-game family around the world · the heritage of Morabaraba