Suvi's rules in brief
| Rule | In Suvi |
|---|---|
| Board | 24 points, 16 straight lines of three, no diagonals |
| A mill | Remove one piece, even if your move completes two lines |
| Safe pieces | Pieces in a mill, unless every piece they have is in one |
| Flying | Once all nine are placed and you are down to three |
| You lose | With two pieces left, or no legal move |
| A draw | 50 moves in a row (both players) with no mill, or the same position three times |
Placing: mobility first, mills second
Not every point is equal. Count the lines that meet there and you know how many neighbors a piece will have once sliding starts.
| Point | Neighbors | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Middles of the middle square | 4 | 4 |
| Middles of the outer and inner squares | 3 | 8 |
| Any corner | 2 | 12 |
If nobody makes a mill while placing, all 18 pieces end up on the board and only six points are left empty. Whoever has pieces next to those six controls the sliding phase. So:
- Take the four-neighbor points early and leave corners for later.
- Don't rush a mill. An early mill takes one piece, but if your other pieces end up boxed in, you can lose for having no move.
- Block your opponent's two-in-a-row only when the third point is truly open. A block that strands your piece in a corner costs you later.
- Look for a fork: one placement that makes two different two-in-a-rows at once. They can block only one.
Timing matters too. The player who places first also slides first; the other player puts down the last piece, so use it to block or to take away your opponent's best move.
Choosing which piece to remove
Every mill gives you a choice, and the right piece is rarely the nearest one.
- Break a threat: take a piece from any two-in-a-row whose third point is empty.
- Take the free piece: in the sliding phase, remove one that can still move, and leave their blocked pieces where they are.
- Guard your mill: remove whatever piece could slide into the gap your running mill needs.
The sliding phase: build a running mill
A mill counts every time it is formed, so a piece that slides out of a mill and back in scores again. The strongest version is the running mill: two lines that share one moving piece, so that every slide closes a mill.
| Outer square, top line | You | gap | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle square, top line | You | You | You |
The middle line is a mill. Slide its center piece up into the gap and the outer line becomes a mill: remove a piece. Slide it back down and the middle line is a mill again: remove another. Your opponent can only stop it by sliding into the gap you leave, and here the only way in is from the top middle point of the inner square. Guard that point, or take whatever piece stands on it, and the mill runs until they are down to three.
If you can't build one, block instead. A player with no legal move loses, so pieces that hem in your opponent's are never wasted.
Flying: with three pieces, and against them
When you are down to three, each piece may jump to any empty point. That makes you hard to pin down, because you can block any single threat wherever it is. Each turn, ask in this order: can I complete a mill now? If not, does my opponent have two in a line with the third point open? Block it.
Against three flying pieces, a running mill stops working, because they can fly straight into the gap. You need two threats at once: two separate lines, each two pieces with an open third point. They block one and you close the other.
When your mill will leave them with three, choose the piece carefully. If they have two in a line with the third point open, take one of those two, or they will fly in and make a mill next turn.
Draws: playing to Suvi's count
Each placement resets the draw count, so it only matters once sliding starts: 50 moves without a mill, yours and theirs added together, is a draw. That is about 25 moves each. A position repeated three times with the same player to move is also a draw.
If you are ahead, keep making progress: every mill resets the count. If you are behind with no way through, shuffling safely between two points can earn you the draw.
If you only remember three things
- While placing, take the points with the most neighbors and keep your pieces free to move.
- In the sliding phase, aim for a running mill and guard its gap.
- Against a flying opponent, make two threats at once.
Try them in a game of Nine Men's Morris on Medium, then step up to Hard. For a different kind of strategy, try mancala or draughts.
Questions
- What happens if one move makes two mills at once?
- You still remove only one piece. Suvi allows one removal per move, however many lines that move completes.
- Can the same mill count more than once?
- Yes. Slide a piece out of a mill and back in on a later turn and it counts as a new mill. That is what makes a running mill so strong.
- Are there diagonal lines on the board?
- No. Suvi uses the standard board: three squares joined at the middles of their sides, with sixteen possible mills and no diagonals.
- Can I fly while I am still placing pieces?
- No. Flying only starts once all your pieces are on the board and you are down to three. Until then you place, and after that you slide.
- Is nine men's morris a draw with perfect play?
- Yes. Computer analysis in the 1990s showed that if neither player makes a mistake, the game ends in a draw. Against a careful opponent a draw is a fair result; mistakes decide the rest.
Play it now
Nine Men's Morris is free on Suvi, on your phone or computer, no download. Also: Nine Men's Morris vs Computer · 2 Player Nine Men's Morris · Nine Men's Morris With a Friend Online.