About Peg Solitaire
Peg solitaire is a puzzle for one with a long history: a French engraving from 1697 already shows a lady of the court playing it. A peg jumps over its neighbour into an empty hole and the neighbour is taken off, until no jump is left. The aim is to leave just one peg, often in the centre hole. This page has seven boards, from a cross of six pegs to the full board of 33 holes and the triangle of 15 holes that is a favourite wooden table game. Each one has been solved by a program before it was added.
How to play Peg Solitaire
- Tap a peg, then the empty hole two along from it: the peg jumps over its neighbour, and the neighbour is taken off. You can also tap an empty hole that only one peg can reach.
- Jumps go along rows and columns (and along both slopes on the triangle), never diagonally on the square board.
- Leave a single peg, in the centre hole where the puzzle asks for it. If no jump is left, you are stuck: undo or start again.
- Every jump counts, even ones you undo, so the stars go to a clean solve. Your progress is saved on this device only.
Tips & strategy
- Work from the outside in: clear the far arms of the cross early, while there are still pegs near the centre to jump over.
- A peg in a corner hole at the end of an arm can never be jumped over. It can only leave by jumping itself, so keep a partner beside it.
- If you get stuck, undo a few jumps and try another order: the same pegs can often be cleared in a different sequence.
- On the triangle, jumps go along both slopes as well as the rows, so look in all six directions.
Peg Solitaire: questions and answers
Can you always finish with one peg?
Not from every position. A careless order of jumps leaves pegs stranded where nothing can reach them. Every board here has been solved by a program, so one peg is always possible.
Why do undone jumps count?
Every finished solve has the same number of jumps, one fewer than the pegs, so the challenge is to find it cleanly. The count shows every jump you made.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in your browser on this device: the boards you have solved, your stars and your best result for each. Peg Solitaire runs entirely on your phone or computer.