Dooz: rules of the Iranian three-in-a-row board game
Also known as: دوز, Three men's morris, Nine men's morris, Mill
Dooz is the Iranian name for line-up games like three and nine men's morris. Learn to place, move and capture pieces and to build lines of three on the board.
- Type
- Board game
- Players
- 2
- Age
- Ages 6+
- Play time
- 5–30 min
- Origin
- Ancient line-up games known in Iran as dooz
Dooz is the name used in Iran for a family of two-player games where the aim is to place three of your pieces in a straight line. The same games are known in English as three men's morris and nine men's morris, and in some countries as mill. The small form is played on a square of three by three points, and Iranian children often draw it on paper or scratch it on the ground and play with stones or bottle caps. The larger form uses three nested squares joined by lines, with nine pieces for each player. Boards of this type have been found carved into old buildings in many countries, which shows how widely these games travelled. Dooz looks simple, but it rewards careful planning and the skill of seeing a threat early.
Our verdict
Dooz teaches planning, attention and pattern recognition with almost no equipment. A board can be drawn in seconds, so it is a perfect game for travel, waiting rooms or a school break. The small version is quick and suits young children, while the nine-piece version offers real strategy for adults. Playing it connects players with a tradition found across Iran, Europe and beyond, and it is a gentle step towards more complex strategy games such as chess.
What works
- Can be drawn on paper or the ground
- Small and large versions for every age
- Clear strategic thinking
What does not
- Small version can end in repeated draws between experienced players
- Rule details differ between regions
How to play Dooz (Morris games)
In small dooz, each player has three pieces and the board has nine points. Players take turns placing one piece on an empty point. If someone forms a straight line of three, they win. If all pieces are placed without a line, players take turns moving one piece along a line to a neighbouring empty point until someone forms three in a row. In the larger nine-piece game, the board has twenty-four points. Players first take turns placing their nine pieces. Every time a player forms a line of three, called a mill, they remove one of the opponent's pieces, usually one that is not part of a mill. After all pieces are placed, players move pieces to neighbouring points, still trying to form mills. In many rule sets, a player who has only three pieces left may jump to any empty point. A player loses when reduced to two pieces or when no move is possible.
Tips for new players
- In the nine-piece game, try to build a position where moving one piece back and forth closes a mill each turn.
- Do not fill the corners too early; middle points on each line connect to more neighbours.
- Always check if your opponent can complete a line on the next move.
- Keep your pieces mobile; a blocked player can lose without being captured.
Good for
Dooz (Morris games): common questions
Is dooz the same as tic-tac-toe?
They are related. Small dooz uses a three-by-three board like tic-tac-toe, but each player has only three pieces and must move them after placing.
What is a mill in dooz?
A mill is a straight line of three of your pieces. In the nine-piece game, forming a mill lets you remove an opponent's piece.
How many pieces are used in dooz?
The small version uses three pieces per player, and the large version uses nine pieces per player.
Dooz (Morris games) belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
