Nine holes is a two-player abstract strategy game from different parts of the world and is centuries old. It was very popular in England. It is related to tic-tac-toe, but even more related to three men's morris, achi, tant fant, shisima, picaria, and dara, because pieces are moved on the board to create the 3 in a row. It is an alignment game.
The board is empty in the beginning. Players decide what colors to play, and who will start first. The game is then played through two stages:
- Drop phase
- Each player drops one piece per turn on any vacant space on the board. Players alternate their turns. Pieces cannot move until all three pieces have been dropped.
- Move phase
- After each player's three pieces have been dropped on the board, each player can move a piece to any vacant space on the board. Only one piece can be moved per turn.
Players can create the 3 in a row at either the drop phase or move phase, and win the game.
