The board consists of a hexagon grid with thirty-six points. Each player has nine pieces, or "men". Usually players try to form 'mills'—three of their own men lined horizontally or vertically—allowing a player to remove one peg from each opponent. Or a player tries to remove opponents move options. A player wins by reducing the opponent(s) to two pieces (where they could no longer form mills and thus be unable to win), or by leaving them without a legal move.

The game proceeds in three phases:

Phase 1: Placing pieces

Nine Men's Morris starts on an empty board.

The players determine who plays first, then take turns, clockwise, placing their men one per play on empty points. If a player is able to place three of their pieces on contiguous points in a straight line, they have formed a mill and may remove one of each of their opponent's pieces from the board and the game, with the caveat that a piece in an opponent's mill can only be removed if no other pieces are available for that player.

Players can form more than one mill in a single move by strategically placing their pieces. If they form more than one mill, then they get to remove as many of the opponent’s pieces, as the number of mills that they formed. After all men have been placed, phase two begins.

Phase 2: Moving pieces

Players continue to take clockwise turns, this time moving a man to an adjacent point. A piece may not "jump" another piece. Players continue to try to form mills and remove their opponent's pieces as in phase one. A player can "break" a mill by moving one of his pieces out of an existing mill, then moving it back to form the same mill a second time (or any number of times), each time removing one of both opponent's men. The act of removing an opponent's man is sometimes called "pounding" the opponent. When a player has been reduced to three men, phase three begins.

Phase 3: "Flying"

When a player is reduced to three pieces, there is no longer a limitation on that player of moving to only adjacent points: The player's man may "fly" (or "hop", or "jump") from any point to any vacant point. Flying only allowed for player(s) with 3 remaining men.

Phase 4: One player loses; has less than 3 men remaining or cannot move a man. The losing player pegs remain on the board. Subsequent “Mill’s” from remaining players continue to remove opponents men.

Winning:

Last player. Both opponents have been eliminated.

Strategy

At the beginning of the game, it is more important to place pieces in versatile locations rather than to try to form mills immediately and make the mistake of concentrating one's pieces in one area of the board. An ideal position, which typically results in a win, allows a player to shuttle one piece back and forth between two mills, removing a piece every turn. Keep in mind that a win also occurs by trapping the opponent (no place to move).

Instructions:

1.    Open cover to access storage area – copper plate held with magnets (tiny knob on right)

2. Access pegs – 10 of each, black, silver, or pink

3. Place nine pegs of each color in holding area (lower left on board).

4. Place one of each color in 0 position of won games (lower right)

5. Determine player order, for example: age, weight, card cut, roll dice, previous game lose order

6. Begin new game play

Phase 1 – place one peg per turn, any available peg hole

Phase 2 – move one peg to adjacent available hole per turn

Phase 3 – 3 remaining pegs, jump one peg to any available peg hole

Phase 4 – two players remain – losing player pegs remain

7. Make “MILL” (3 pegs in a row) to remove one non MILL peg for each opponent, place removed peg back in holding area.

8. Player Lose

method 1 – less than 3 pegs (the two remaining pegs stay in play)

method 2 – unable to move (all remaining pegs stay in play)

9. Player win – last player, move games won peg to next won position