How to Play Morabaraba
Master the ancient game of Morabaraba.
Game Overview
Morabaraba (also known as Twelve Men's Morris, a close cousin of Nine Men's Morris, or Mill) is a traditional Southern African strategy board game. South Africa's Traditional board has 24 intersection points; Lesotho's Koti variant has 25. Each player starts with 12 pieces.
Objective
Form mills — three of your cows in a straight line along a marked line of the board — and shoot your opponent's cows. You win when your opponent is down to two cows, or has no legal move on their turn.
Players
Two players, each with a herd of 12 cows in its own colour. In a tournament the pairing sheet says who places first; on this site the Light Herd moves first, and the second herd can be another person or the computer.
Traditional vs. Koti: Two Variants
Morabaraba is played slightly differently everywhere it's played — across South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho, and again in the wider family of mill games it belongs to, from shax in Somalia to Twelve Men's Morris in Europe. This site plays two boards, Traditional and Koti; the rules on this page apply to both, with the differences noted as they come up.
Game Phases
1. Placement Phase
Players take turns placing one cow on any empty point until all 24 cows are on the board.
- Each player has 12 cows to place, one per turn
- No cow may be moved while placing
- A mill formed while placing earns a shot immediately, on the same turn
- Try to form mills while blocking your opponent's
2. Movement Phase
Once all 24 cows are placed, each turn you move one cow along a line to a neighbouring empty point.
- Only to a point joined to it by a line
- No jumping over another cow
- Traditional: a player whose every cow is blocked on their turn loses
- Koti: a blocked player passes instead of losing
3. Down to Three Cows
Under the Classic South African rules used in tournaments there is no flying: a player reduced to three cows still moves only along the lines, like everyone else.
- Three cows can still be hemmed in, and a blocked player loses
- Down to two cows, you have lost
- Online and in the app, a player down to three cows may fly to any empty point
- In a tournament, the arbiter's rules apply, so check before you play
Mills and Capturing
Forming Mills
A mill is three of your cows on three connected points in a straight line along a marked line of the board.
- Along a square's edge, a midline, or a diagonal (diagonals count)
- Three cows round a corner, in an L, or either side of the centre are not a mill
- One placement or move that closes two mills earns two shots
- Open a mill and close it again on a later turn for a new shot; a mill left standing earns nothing
Shooting a Cow
When you form a mill you must immediately shoot (remove) one of your opponent's cows, of your choice.
- Traditional: you may not shoot a cow that is part of a mill, unless all of your opponent's cows are in mills
- Koti: any cow can be shot, mill or not
- A shot cow leaves the board for good
- On this site, tap the cow you want to shoot
Winning the Game
Down to Two
You win when your opponent is reduced to two cows, or resigns.
No Legal Move
You win when your opponent has no legal move on their turn, even with three or more cows left. (In Koti a blocked player passes instead.)
Draws
A game is drawn when both players have three cows and no cow is shot in the next ten moves each; when twenty moves in a row (ten each) pass in the moving phase with no shot; when the same position, with the same player to move, comes up a third time; or when both players agree.
Tournament Play
Over-the-board tournaments run by morabaraba.co.za use the Classic South African rules above, with no flying, and these rules of time and conduct. The arbiter's ruling is final.
The Two-Minute Rule
- No game clocks are used; move at a reasonable pace
- If your opponent is not moving, protest to the arbiter during their turn
- The arbiter starts a two-minute count and calls out 1 minute and 30 seconds left
- No completed move in two minutes loses the game
- The count covers that one move; you may protest again later
- A match holding up the next round can be put on a standing two-minute count for every move
At the Board
- Touch-move: a cow you touch must be placed or moved if it legally can be
- A move is complete when you let go of the cow and, after a mill, the shot cow is removed
- No advice from spectators and no phones at the board
- Speak only to say "mill", offer a draw, or resign
- In a dispute, raise your hand and do not move any cows
Playing Online and in the App
The game on this site and in the apps follows the rules above, with these differences:
- A player reduced to three cows may fly: move any cow to any empty point
- Draws are decided automatically: the same position for the third time, or fifty moves in a row (twenty-five each) with no cow shot
- Online games may use a game clock in place of the two-minute rule
Strategy Tips
Placement Strategy
- Corners sit on three lines and midpoints on two, so corners join more 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
- Open and re-close a mill to shoot again
- Force opponent into defensive positions
- Plan several moves ahead
Take Morabaraba with you
Seven opponents, the daily puzzle, the Mountain Ascent and online play against the same players as here — free on Android and iPhone.