Shax vs Nine Men's Morris: Twelve Pieces or Nine?

Shax

Nine Men's Morris

The Verdict

Both games use the identical 24-point morris board, so the difference is entirely in the rules. Nine Men's Morris gives you nine pieces and lets a mill capture the moment you form it. Shax, the Somali version, gives you twelve - enough to fill every point on the board - and mills formed during placement, called jare, capture nothing at all. Only when the board is full does removal begin, starting with whoever made the first jare.

Side by Side

	Shax	Nine Men's Morris
Players	2	2
Board	24 points, 3 concentric squares	24 points, 3 concentric squares
Pieces per side	12	9
Board after placement	Completely full (24/24)	18 of 24 points used
Mills during placement	Capture nothing (jare)	Capture immediately
Flying rule at 3 pieces	No - always one step	Yes, in the common rule set
Average game length	15-25 min	10-20 min
Solved?	No published solution	Solved 1993 (draw)
Origin	Somalia / Horn of Africa	Roman, then medieval Europe

Same board, very different opening

Because Shax hands each player twelve pieces and the board has exactly twenty-four points, the placement phase always ends with every single point occupied. That changes the opening completely. In Nine Men's Morris you are racing to form mills while placing, since each one removes an enemy piece straight away and can decide the game before movement begins. In Shax nothing is captured during placement - a mill made then is a jare, and it earns you the right to remove first once the board fills, not an immediate kill. The opening becomes about shaping the full-board position rather than snatching early material.

No flying, and what that changes

The commonly played Nine Men's Morris rule set lets a player reduced to three pieces move to any vacant point - flying - which gives the losing side a genuine chance to fork a mill and claw back. Shax has no such rule: a player down to three still shuffles one step at a time along the lines. That makes a material lead in Shax far more decisive, and it rewards patient, grinding accumulation rather than the desperate swindles that keep Nine Men's Morris games alive.

Which should you play?

Nine Men's Morris if you want the shorter, sharper, better-documented game - it is solved, widely taught, and a first game takes ten minutes. Shax if you want something less familiar with a genuinely different opening problem: a completely full board at the end of placement is a position type Nine Men's Morris never produces. Anyone who already knows Morris can pick up Shax in a single game, since the board and the mill idea carry straight over.

Pick Shax if…

you already know Morris and want a new problem on the same board
you prefer positional build-up to early captures
you want a game where a material lead really holds
you are interested in African traditional games

Pick Nine Men's Morris if…

you want the shorter, more familiar game
you like mills paying off immediately
you want the comeback chance the flying rule gives
you prefer a game with a known, studied solution

FAQ

Is Shax just Twelve Men's Morris?

It is the Somali member of the Twelve Men's Morris family, but it is not simply Morris with three extra pieces. The jare rule - mills made during placement capture nothing and instead decide who removes first once the board fills - is specific to Shax and changes the whole opening.

Do Shax and Nine Men's Morris use the same board?

Yes, exactly the same: 24 points on three concentric squares joined by four midlines, with no diagonals. If you own a Morris board you can play Shax on it immediately.

What does jare mean in Shax?

Jare is a mill formed during the placement phase. It captures nothing at the time, but the player who makes the first jare gets to remove an enemy piece first once every point is filled and the movement phase begins.

What else is Shax called?

It is attested as jar, djelga, mororova and shah across the Horn of Africa. The name shifts with the region while the rules travel with the game.

Which is harder to win?

Shax tends to be the harder grind, because there is no flying rule to rescue a losing position. Once you are behind on material in Shax you generally stay behind, whereas Nine Men's Morris gives a three-piece player real swindling chances.

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