Ancient Games
The Game of Three, Six, Nine and Twelve Stones
Nine stones or Mills is a strategy game for two players. There are various variants called three, six and twelve stones, but since it is the most popular among them, nine stones will be mentioned in most of the article.
Although there is a claim that the first traces of the game go back to ancient Egypt in 1400 BC, its accuracy is controversial. Because R.C.Bell wrote that the figures in the Kurna Temple dedicated to Pharaoh Seti I belong to the game boards drawn for nine stones, but the accuracy of this has not been proven. As a result of the presence of the same descriptions on early Christian tombstones and wall motifs in Egypt and Sudan, the idea that the figures mentioned are symbols drawn to protect against the evil eye is more prevalent.
The time when the history of the game is precisely determined is the Roman Empire period. Ovid also included ninestones in Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love). In addition, it is possible to encounter the lines of the game board, which were sometimes created by scratching and sometimes by making small grooves, in many Roman structures, especially those in ancient Britain.
Interest in the game peaked in the Middle Ages. For example, it is possible to come across medieval nine-stone lines in almost all of the popular historical buildings in England. Considering the games that humanity has created throughout history, nine-stone and its derivatives are perhaps the most plain and simple-looking among the others, but they are very popular. Nine Stones appears suddenly in the reproach of Titania, the queen of the fairies, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream;
“….. The green ears of wheat rotted where they were;
Flooded fields and sheepfolds were left empty,
The flocks were devastated by disease, the carrion crows grew fat;
The nine-piece game board sank into the mud;
Paths laid out by labor among the meadows It became invisible without being stepped on.”
Additionally, a version of the game that includes dice is described in Libro de Los Juegos, which can be considered the first detailed game guide in history.
Their counterparts' fancy pawns, precious game boards and mysterious messages attributed to them have been forgotten one by one. On the contrary, nine-stone, which emerged without being dependent on any belief, culture, doctrine or social class, is one of the rare ancient games that we can encounter in every geography from east to west, and which has continued its existence today after chess and checkers. Sometimes in a school desk, sometimes at the foot of a wall, sometimes on a fallen tree trunk, you may encounter that geometric motif in which three, six, nine or twelve stones will begin to shift places.
Rules Of The Game
In this section, the rules of the nine-stone game and then the rules of the three-, six- and twelve-stone games will be discussed.
Nine Stones: The game board is in the form of a grid consisting of twenty-four intersection points and lines connecting the midpoints. Two players each have nine pawns (or pieces). Players take turns placing their tiles on the points. After all the stones are placed, the player whose turn it is moves his stone to the nearest empty point in horizontal or vertical alignment. Stones cannot jump over each other. Aim; It means being able to line up the stones in a row in a horizontal or vertical position. This is called the mill form (because it looks just like a windmill). The move made must also prevent the opponent's pieces from being aligned in the same line. The player who succeeds in his formation has the right to remove one of his opponent's pieces from the game. Cross sorting has no such effect. The player who has only two pieces left loses. There is also an optional rule called flying. The player who has only three stones left can place his own stone at any point instead of the nearest point during his turn. This is also called jumping.
Three Stones: The game board has a 2×2 square shape. There are a total of nine points to place pawns: four in the corners, four in the middle of the edges, and one in the center. Players have three tiles each. The rules regarding the movement of pieces are the same as in the nine-stone game. There is no rule to just remove pawns from the game. The first player to make the mill form wins.
Twelve Stones: It consists of a total of three interlocking squares and twenty-four points. Its difference from the Nine Stones game board; There are diagonal lines connecting the end corners.
Cc: Robert Charles Bell, Ludus Latrunculorum, Luk Ssut K’i, İlker BOZDEMİR
