Twelve men's morris problem #502

The task

To move

Dark

Difficulty

Easy

Goal

mill in 2

Placement is still going on: 12 men for Light and 11 for Dark, counting those still in hand. An easy one: the mill comes on your second turn, so look for a move that makes two threats or forces a reply you can use.

What to look for

• Placement phase: men are still coming onto the board, so a man in hand can block or threaten anywhere.
• Two threats at once: one move should leave two mills, lines or captures that cannot both be stopped.

How the answer is checked

There is exactly one first move that forces the result; any other first move allows the defence to escape. Moves that keep the forced result are accepted later in the line, and a move that loses it is taken back with a short note.