How to play ތިންހަމަ
Thinhama follows the classic rules of Nine Men's Morris. It is easy to learn and surprisingly deep — a game that takes minutes to teach and a lifetime to master.
The board
The board is made of three concentric squares joined by diagonals and cross-lines. The game is played on the 24 intersection points, not the spaces. The red player takes the nine red beads; the cowrie player takes the nine cowrie shells.
Placing the pieces
Players take turns placing one piece on any empty point until all nine pieces are on the board. Red places first. During this first phase no piece may move.
Mills and captures
A mill is a line of three of your pieces on a row of the board. The moment you complete a mill — by placing or by moving — you immediately remove any one opponent piece from the board. A captured piece is out of the game for good.
Moving
Once all eighteen pieces are on the board, play enters the moving phase. On your turn, move one of your pieces one step along a line to an adjacent empty point. Completing a mill with a move still captures an opponent piece immediately.
Flying
When you are reduced to three pieces, the rules change: on each turn you may fly — move any one of your pieces to any empty point on the board, not just a neighbouring one. It is the last desperate freedom of a losing side, and it can turn a game around.
Winning and drawing
You win when your opponent is reduced to two pieces, or when they have no legal move on their turn. The game is a draw if fifty moves pass without a capture — both sides are strong, and nobody can break through.