How to Play Morabaraba

Master the ancient game of Morabaraba.

Game Overview

Morabaraba is a traditional South African strategy board game similar to Nine Men's Morris. The game is played on a board with 24 intersection points, and each player starts with 12 pieces.

Objective

The goal is to capture your opponent's pieces by forming 'mills' (three pieces in a row) and reduce them to fewer than 3 pieces, or block them completely so they cannot move.

Players

Two players: Red (human player) and Blue (computer or second human player). Red always moves first.

Game Phases

1. Placement Phase

Players take turns placing their pieces on empty intersection points on the board.

  • Each player has 12 pieces to place
  • Red player goes first
  • Click any empty intersection to place your piece
  • Try to form mills while blocking your opponent

2. Movement Phase

Once all pieces are placed, players move their pieces to adjacent empty points.

  • Click your piece to select it
  • Click an adjacent empty point to move
  • Pieces can only move along the board lines
  • Continue forming mills and capturing pieces

3. Flying Phase

When a player has only 3 pieces left, they can 'fly' to any empty point on the board.

  • Activated when you have exactly 3 pieces
  • Can move to any empty intersection
  • No longer restricted to adjacent moves
  • Provides strategic advantage for comeback

Mills and Capturing

Forming Mills

A mill is formed when you have three of your pieces in a straight line.

  • Can be horizontal or vertical
  • Must be on connected intersection points
  • Immediately allows you to capture
  • Same mill can be used multiple times if broken and reformed

Capturing Pieces

When you form a mill, you must capture one of your opponent's pieces.

  • Click on any opponent's piece to capture it
  • Cannot capture pieces that are part of a mill
  • If all opponent pieces are in mills, you can capture any
  • Captured pieces are removed from the board

Winning the Game

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Reduce Opponent

Capture pieces until your opponent has only 2 pieces left.

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Block Movement

Position your pieces so your opponent cannot make any legal moves.

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Strategic Control

Dominate the board through superior positioning and mill formation.

Strategy Tips

Placement Strategy

  • Control the center position - it's part of 4 possible mills
  • Place pieces to create multiple mill opportunities
  • Block opponent's potential mills early
  • Keep pieces flexible for future moves

Movement Strategy

  • Create "two-way" attacks where you threaten multiple mills
  • Break and reform mills to capture multiple pieces
  • Force opponent into defensive positions
  • Plan several moves ahead