The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #17: Other Morris Games

OTHER MORRIS GAMES

FURTHER INFORMATION by Damian Walker
Players interested in the large family of morris games may find more about
them, and other variations not mentioned here, by consulting the following
books.
Bell, R. C. Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations, vol. 1,
pp. 91-95. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1979.
Murray, H. J. R. A History of Board-Games Other than Chess, pp. 37-
48. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1952.
Parlett, D. The Oxford History of Board Games, pp. 116-121. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1999.
Copyright © Damian Walker 2011 - http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/

Illustration 4: the board for eleven and Board Games at CYNINGSTAN

twelve men's morris. Traditional Board Game Series
(Second Edition)
4 Leaflet #17
 The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #17: Other Morris Games The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #17: Other Morris Games

game was played in Wiltshire in

INTRODUCTION & HISTORY England, and was observed in 1897.
Nine Men’s Morris is the best these games were played in much The game is played with six men
known morris game in much of the same way, but the layout of the per side on the board shown in Il-
Europe. But there were a number board and the number of pieces lustration 3, but unlike six men's
of other morris games played across differed. This leaflet gives the rules morris, allows a row of three men to
Europe and the wider world. All to the most popular games. be formed on the lines that connect
the triangles together.
HOW TO PLAY
Eleven & Twelve Men’s Morris
Most morris games share the fol- can take one of his opponent’s
lowing common rules. pieces, so long as that piece is not These games are played on the
itself part of a mill. board shown in Illustration 4, with
Common Rules eleven or twelve men per side. In
6. If when capturing as in rule Illustration 2: the board for five and six
5, all opposing pieces form mills, early forms of the game, the diagon-
1. Morris games are played by men's morris.
then any of the pieces may be cap- al lines were for movement only,
two players, with pieces placed on
game. but in the modern form, it is per-
the points of a lined board. tured.
Three men's morris is one of missible to form mills upon them.
2. The board starts empty, each 7. A player wins the game
the most widely played board Twelve men’s morris is the
player holding all his pieces in when the opponent is reduced to 2
games in the world. It has been game taken to New England by the
hand. pieces and is thus unable to form a
found across all three continents of first settlers. In this game, a player
3. At first, each player in turn mill or make further captures.
the old world, and it has been in ex- may move his pieces from one point
puts one piece on the board, at any
Three Men’s Morris and Achi istence for so long that it is not ap- to any other when he is reduced to
vacant point.
parent where it was first invented. four pieces or less.
4. Once all These two
Achi, however, is an African vari-
pieces are on the games are played
ant.
board, a player in- on the board
stead moves one shown in Illustra- Five & Six Men’s Morris
of his pieces along tion 1, three men's
These two games are played on
a marked line to morris with three
the board shown in Illustration 2,
an adjacent empty pieces for each
one with five pieces each, and the
point. player, and achi
other with six. Note that it is not
5. If a piece with four. Rules
possible to form a row of three on
placed or moved differ in that there
the lines that connect the two
as in rules 3 or 4 is no capture; the
squares together.
forms a row of first player who
three along a forms a row of Sixpenny Maddell
marked line three pieces imme-
(called a mill), he Illustration 1: the board for three men's diately wins the This curious variant of the Illustration 3: the board for sixpenny
morris and achi. maddell.

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