Peg Solitaire online

What is peg solitaire?

Peg solitaire is a board puzzle for one person. The classic board has 33 holes in a cross and starts with 32 pegs and the center empty. On each move, a peg jumps over its neighbor, lands in an empty hole and the jumped peg is removed. The goal is to leave a single peg.

How to play

1. The English board has 33 holes in the shape of a cross. The game starts with 32 pegs and the center hole empty.
2. A move is a jump: the peg goes over a neighboring peg and lands in the empty hole right after it.
3. The jumped peg leaves the board.
4. On the English board, a jump goes in a straight line: sideways, up or down. Diagonal jumps are not allowed.
5. Tap the peg that will jump. The holes where it can land are highlighted with a dashed ring.
6. Tap a highlighted hole to make the jump. To switch pegs, tap another peg.
7. On a computer, move across the holes with the arrow keys and choose with Enter. The Z key undoes a move.
8. Made a mistake? Tap Undo move. You can go back all the way to the start.
9. The game ends when no peg can jump. You win if a single peg is left.

Boards

• English, 33 holes: the classic cross-shaped peg solitaire. The full solution takes 31 jumps.
• Triangle, 15 holes: the shortest level. It starts with 14 pegs and the top corner empty. The solution takes 13 jumps.
• On the triangle, jumps follow the lines of the triangle: sideways and along both diagonals.
• At the end of each game, the game counts the pegs left and gives you a rating.
• There are other boards, such as the European one with 37 holes. Here you play the two best known.
• The game is relaxed: there is no clock. The game in progress stays saved on your device.

Tips to play better: how to win at peg solitaire

• Clear one arm of the cross at a time. Once an arm is empty, nobody needs to go back there.
• Play from the outside in. The pegs at the tips are the hardest to remove late in the game.
• Do not leave a peg alone. A peg far from the others cannot jump, and it takes work to bring another peg to it.
• Learn the pack of three: three pegs in a row, with one peg beside the end and an empty hole on the other side. In three jumps all three leave, and the helper peg returns to its place.
• Keep the pegs near the center for the last moves. To finish in the center, the last jump starts from a hole two steps away from it.
• Before you jump, look at what stays around. A good jump keeps the pegs together, not spread out.
• Use Undo to test paths. Go back to the point where the board was still tidy and try another order.
• Practice on the triangle. It is quick and teaches you to think two moves ahead.

Who this game is for

Peg solitaire is a puzzle for one person. It exercises logic and planning, with no hurry and no reading. The rule is simple and fits in one sentence, so children, adults and seniors play on the same page.

The pegs are large and the possible moves are highlighted. Beginners can use the triangle board, which ends in a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions