How do you play Peg Solitaire?
Peg Solitaire starts with every hole filled except one. A move is a jump: one peg hops over a neighbouring peg into an empty hole straight beyond it, and the jumped peg is removed. Keep jumping until no jumps are left. The goal is to finish with a single peg, ideally in the centre on the English board. On the 15-hole triangle board, pegs can also jump diagonally.
Peg Solitaire rules
- Jumps are in straight lines over exactly one peg into an empty hole.
- English and European boards: up, down, left and right. Triangle board: six directions.
- The jumped peg is removed. You cannot jump over an empty hole.
- The game ends when no jumps are possible. Fewer pegs left is better.
Tips and strategy
- Work from the edges inward; pegs stranded on the outer arms are hard to rescue.
- Clear the board in blocks: groups of three in a row can often be removed as a package.
- Think a few jumps ahead about where the empty holes will end up.
- On the triangle board, starting with an empty corner is easier than an empty middle-edge hole.
A short history of Peg Solitaire
Peg Solitaire dates to at least the late 1600s: a 1697 French engraving shows a noblewoman at the court of Louis XIV playing it. The 15-hole triangle version became a familiar restaurant-table game in the United States.
Peg Solitaire questions
What is the trick to Peg Solitaire?
Clear the pegs in blocks and work from the outside in. On the English board, practise finishing each arm of the cross before the centre, and aim to leave the last peg in the middle hole.
How many pegs are on a Peg Solitaire board?
The English board has 33 holes and starts with 32 pegs. The European board has 37 holes. The triangle peg game has 15 holes and starts with 14 pegs.
What do you get for leaving pegs on the triangle game?
The traditional scoring: 1 peg left is a genius, 2 is pretty smart, 3 is just plain dumb, and 4 or more leaves you an EG-no-ra-moose. It is a joke printed on the classic restaurant game, not a judgement.
Is Peg Solitaire free to play?
Yes. Peg Solitaire on PuzzlePage is free in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no download and no sign-up. Your streaks and best times are kept on your device. The page shows a few ads, which never cover the game, and the Player Club removes them.
Can I put Peg Solitaire on my own website?
Yes. Sign up free with your email at puzzlepage.app/embed, click the link we send, and copy the embed code. The game runs inside your page, restyled to your colors, with a small PuzzlePage credit.
Put Peg Solitaire on your website
Teachers, bloggers and activity coordinators can add Peg Solitaire to their own page for free. Sign up with your email on the embed page, click the link we send you, and copy the code. It matches your site's colors and keeps a small PuzzlePage credit.
More classic games
Peg Solitaire on PuzzlePage is an original implementation of a traditional game, with its own design. It is not affiliated with any operating system or software publisher.