The Movement Phase
📋 What it is
After all pieces are placed, you take turns SLIDING a piece to an adjacent empty point along a line.
🗣️ Coach says
Once both players have placed all nine pieces, the game shifts: now you MOVE, sliding one piece per turn to a neighbouring empty point along a line. You still form mills to capture — but now by sliding pieces in and out of lines rather than placing them.
🧠 Memory hook
Phase 2 = slide one piece to an adjacent point. Still make mills to capture.
😂 Giggle
Why is Nine Men's Morris a game of patience?
Because you place all nine before the real chase begins!
😲 Whoa!
The movement phase is where the game gets deep — a piece slid OUT of a mill and back IN next turn re-forms it, capturing again and again (a "swinging mill").
✅ Quick check: How do pieces move once the placement phase is over?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
You slide one piece per turn to an adjacent empty point along a line — no more placing new pieces.
The movement phase replaces placing with sliding to neighbouring points.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
After placing, practise sliding a piece to an adjacent point and back to re-form a mill.