The Placement Phase
📋 What it is
The game starts by taking turns PLACING your nine pieces on empty points, aiming to build mills.
🗣️ Coach says
The first phase is pure placing: you take turns dropping your nine pieces onto empty points, one per turn. Your goal is to arrange them so you form mills (and stop the enemy forming theirs). Where you place early shapes the whole game — grab the busy crossing points.
🧠 Memory hook
Phase 1 = place all nine, one at a time. Build toward mills; grab the crossings.
😂 Giggle
Why is the placing phase like planting a garden?
You've got to set your pieces where they'll grow into mills!
😲 Whoa!
The four "T-junction" points (where a line branches to another square) touch FOUR lines each — placing there gives your pieces the most ways to make a mill.
✅ Quick check: What are you trying to do during the placement phase?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Place your nine pieces on empty points to build mills (and block the opponent's), taking the most-connected points where possible.
Placement sets up mills and controls key junctions for the rest of the game.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Play just the placement phase with a friend and count who ends it with more pieces on busy crossings.