How to play Morabaraba
Morabaraba is a two-player strategy game from Southern Africa, played with 12 pieces each, known as cows. You place and then move your cows along the lines of the board, trying to make a row of three, called a mill. Each mill lets you shoot one of your opponent's cows, and you win when they have only two left or cannot move.
Step by step
Start with an empty board
Each player has 12 cows in hand. The board has 24 points where lines meet.
Place your cows
Take turns placing one cow on any empty point, until all 24 cows are on the board or captured.
Make a mill
Three of your cows in a straight line along a marked line is a mill. Each new mill lets you shoot one enemy cow.
Shoot a cow
Remove one of your opponent's cows. You may not take one that is in a mill unless all of their cows are in mills.
Move your cows
Once all cows are placed, take turns moving one cow along a line to a neighbouring empty point.
Fly with three
When a player is down to three cows, their cows may fly to any empty point.
Win the game
You win when your opponent has only two cows left, or cannot make a move.
The full rules
What you need
The Morabaraba board is made of three squares, one inside another. Straight lines join the middles of the sides, and diagonal lines join the corners. Where lines meet, there is a point. There are 24 points in all.
Each player has 12 pieces, called cows. Use two different colours, such as light and dark stones.
The three stages
Morabaraba is played in three stages.
1. Placing
The board starts empty. Players take turns to place one cow on any empty point. This carries on until both players have placed all 12 of their cows.
2. Moving
Once every cow has been placed, players take turns moving one of their cows. A cow moves along a line to a neighbouring empty point. It cannot jump over other cows. If you cannot move any cow, you lose.
3. Flying
When a player has only three cows left, those cows may fly. A flying cow can move from its point to any empty point on the board, not just a neighbouring one. The other player keeps moving normally until they too are down to three.
Making mills
A mill is three of your own cows in a straight line, on one of the lines drawn on the board. Mills can be made along the sides of the squares, along the lines joining the squares, and along the diagonal lines from the corners.
Each time you make a new mill, during placing or moving, you shoot one of your opponent’s cows. Pick it up and take it off the board for good.
You may not shoot a cow that is part of a mill, unless all of your opponent’s cows are in mills. Then you may take any one.
If one move makes two mills at once, the common rule is that you shoot two cows. A cow placed on a corner can even complete three mills at once, which shoots three.
Winning
You win the game when:
- your opponent has only two cows left, so they can never make a mill again, or
- your opponent cannot move any of their cows on their turn.
If both players have three cows and nobody makes progress, the game is usually agreed a draw. It is also a draw if the board fills up during placing without any cow being shot, because then nobody can move. On GamesBento the game is declared a draw automatically if the same position comes round three times, or if no cow is shot for a long stretch of the moving stage (50 turns, or 20 once both players are down to three cows).
Common variants
Rules vary between areas and clubs. Some players do not allow flying, so a player with three cows must still move normally. Some forbid shooting a cow from a mill under any circumstances. Others limit how often the same mill can be opened and closed. Twelve men’s morris, played in parts of Europe, is almost the same game. Agree any house rules before you start.
Tips for beginners
- Do not rush to make mills while placing. Spreading your cows out so they have room to move later is often stronger.
- Block your opponent. If they have two cows in a line with an empty point, place a cow there.
- Build a double threat. Set up two possible mills at once. Your opponent can only block one.
- Make a running mill. In the moving stage, a cow that can slide out of a mill and back in again can shoot a cow every two turns.
- Keep your cows mobile. A player whose cows are boxed in can lose without being shot.
Common questions
Is Morabaraba the same as nine men's morris?
They are closely related. Morabaraba uses 12 pieces each and a board with diagonal lines, which makes it very similar to twelve men's morris. Nine men's morris uses 9 pieces and has no diagonals.
What is a mill in Morabaraba?
A mill is three of your cows in a row on one of the board's lines, including the diagonals. When you make a new mill, you may shoot one of your opponent's cows.
Can I break a mill and make it again?
Yes. Moving a cow out of a mill and back again on a later turn makes a new mill, which lets you shoot again. Some clubs restrict this, so agree beforehand.
What happens if two mills are made at once?
In the common rules, making two mills with one move lets you shoot two cows. Some players allow only one, so it is worth agreeing first.
What is Umlabalaba?
Umlabalaba is a Zulu name for the same game. It is also known by other names in different languages across Southern Africa.
Where it comes from
Morabaraba is widely played in South Africa and Lesotho, and the cows reflect the importance of cattle in the region. It belongs to the morris family of games, which have been played in many parts of the world for a long time. Players often learn it as children, sometimes scratching the board into the ground, and it is also played competitively.
