How do I beat the Homestead Innkeeper at Six Men's Morris?

Solution 1:

1. Play first
2. Place your first two pieces on the middle square at the top left and bottom right corners
3. Switch to blocking the opponent from getting 3 in a row (a 'mill') for a couple of moves
4. When you get a free move (i.e. you don't have to block) try to make a mill (line of 3)
5. During steps 3 and 4 keep blocking/moving with a view to getting two mills that you can move between.
6. Don't lose any pieces.
7. If you get to a place where you can keep moving to complete a mill (ideally between two) you can use it to mop up all his pieces.
8. You can break a mill and then re-complete it in two moves - if your opponent is more than 2 moves away from completing a mill you can use this to stop him too.

Here's a winning set up:

The top middle white piece can move up and down between two mills - at this point they can keep repeating to remove all black's pieces.

Here is a video with more detail.