Your cell phone might take pictures

I don't have a camara.

That's a good idea. Care to share a photo?

I made for myself a Mill board on 20-pound art paper using a straight edge and crayon.
I rather like the result.
It works just fine.
Using red and black old-style, wooden checker pieces, I now have a nice Mill set, board and pieces, for playing and studying the game.

— We 2/4 2025

I can't see them. I'm not a member and don't want to sign up for anything else. Is there a way you can post them here?

Anyone interested in seeing a collection of Mill/NMM boards I made some time back check out my Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/mattlittlewood/merrill-boards/

There are some 200 odd images of Boards and designs based on the Nine Men's Morris concentric squares pattern.

The pattern is very old and was found as far back as excavations at Stonehenge. The symbol seems to have been used in the Pagan religion to ward off negative spirits.

It is interesting in the modern day in how many places we still find this pattern. In India we see it all over, from Bank logos to decorative designs. It is a symbol with meaning that even predates the game itself - which is already very old!

Interesting information.

I found the book published in 1952/55 by H.R Murray. The game name took two seperate paths - Germanic, Slavic and Eastern European languages adopted the respective forms of Mill and the English and Romance languages the Latin Merrellus meaning 'piece'. In some countries you have both names being used.

In the rest of the world - such as India and China it was often named after the number of pieces i.e 9 or the alignment/capture of 3 pieces.

Thanks

Interesting.
Thank you for the information.

In German Mills is known as Mühle - which can be translated as 'grinder' or 'mill' as in the machine that grinds.

In the past, and even today the action of moving the pieces is referred to as grinding - especially the back and forth movement between two Mills.

This is one possibility outside the possible corruption of the Latin words.

I don't have it on hand but the answer is probably in H.R Murray's book the History of board games other than Chess. It has an entire section on the game including how it travelled to various countries.

I'll try to find my copy and have a look.

Thank you, good information.
I think the game is older then Rome, though, so our account of these two names might not be quite complete.
Maybe, maybe not.

According to Wikipedia:
The Latin word merellus means 'gamepiece', which may have been corrupted in English to 'morris',[1] while miles is Latin for soldier.
Latin is missing from my education so I cannot vouch for it.

Thank you, rabbitoid.
Perhaps someone knows the origin of the name Mill or Morris.

That one I know. the ancestor Indian game is Shatranj. The Persians took it over and gave it the name "King", "shakh" in persian, or rather "shakh mat" = the king is dead. In Russian that is still the name. In German they kept only "Schach". In English that became chess.

I think the origin of these names is often lost in the obscure past.

I really don't know.
Where did they get the name Chess?

— We 26/3 2025

Where did they get the name mill?

Thank you for your appreciation, hoof hearted.
Nine Men's Morris, a.k.a. Mill, is such a fine game to play.
I was given a board and pieces as a little shorty, but as an adult I am thoroughly absorbed by the game.
I wish we had more GoldToken players interested in it.

— Sa 22/3 2025

I'm glad you pointed it out so I could sign up

Just in case anyone is interested, The Apr 2025 — KJ's April Fool's Day: The Tournament is open for signups.
Nine Men's Morris is one of the games... hurrah!
Additional players will be welcome if you wish to sign up and play.
The tourney starts on April Fool's Day, 1.Apr.

— Fri 21/3 2025

Like rabbitoid says, we either win or learn.
Thanks a tonne for joining.

— Fr 7/3 2025

I signed up but man is it loaded with good players

Many thanks, rabbitoid.
Let's hope several others also sign up to play.
We'll have a real shindig then.

Ok, three.

Psst, the link to a tournament is
{ Tournament#13998 } which links to The Apr 2025 — 3-day round robin — DIVISIONS Tournament

the link to a subtournament is
{ Tournament:237850 } which links to The Nine Men Morris Competition in The Apr 2025 — 3-day round robin — DIVISIONS Tournament

The Apr 2025 — 3-day round robin — DIVISIONS Tournament has two players signed up to play Nine Men's Morris.
The quorum is three.
If you enjoy this game or would like to give it a try, please consider signing up.
Play begins the first Monday in April.

— Fr 7/3 2025