Historical Board Game: Nine Mens Morris

        I remember first playing this classic game on my computer when I was about six years old. I fell in love with it from the first time I played. I think it can best be decribed as a complicated (and much more fun) form of tick-tack-toe. The game is said to have gotten it's name from a historical English dance known as the Morris in the 18th century.To play the game, each player starts with nine pieces. Each player takes turn placing one peice at a time trying to get three in a row along the lines. When a player gets three in a row not only are those peices temporarily safe from being captured, they get to take one of the opponents peices off the board. When capturing a peice the peice is not allowed to be taken from a row of three unless those are the only pieces available to capture. After all peices have been placed players take turns moving peices one space at a time along the lines continuing to try to get three in a row. When the player has only three peices left that player can move one of his places to any open spot along the board. There are two strategies to winning the game. The normal strategy that most people use is capture all the peices of your opponent until they are down to only two pieces. Or you can try to surround all of your opponents pieces leaving them with no moves, in which case you automaticly win the game. This game is very easy to learn and will provide hours of entertainment. Although finding actual boards for this game can be hard to do, you can easily make a board with just paper and a pencil.