Jump one peg over a neighbor into an empty hole and the jumped peg is removed. Keep going until no jumps are left, and try to finish with a single peg. Play the classic English cross, the 37-hole European board or the 15-hole triangle, with unlimited undo and a hint that solves your position.
Last updated:
Pegs left32
Jumps0
Best–
Game over
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How to use the Peg Solitaire
Pick a board. The English board starts with the center hole empty, the European board with a hole on the left edge, and the triangle with its top hole empty.
Select a peg that has a neighbor peg with an empty hole right behind it. Pegs that can move have a white ring.
Tap a highlighted hole to jump. The peg you jumped over is removed from the board.
Keep jumping until no more jumps are possible. Jumps go in straight lines only (no diagonals on the square boards).
Aim for one peg. Use Undo to try other lines and Show hint when you are stuck. Your fewest pegs left is saved for each board.
Peg solitaire strategy
Work from the outside in. Pegs on the arms of the cross and the corners are the hardest to remove later. Clear an arm early while there are still pegs next to it to jump with.
Avoid isolated pegs. A peg with no neighbors can never be removed. Before each jump, check that you are not leaving a peg stranded on its own.
Use packages of moves. Experienced players clear a 3×2 block of pegs with a fixed sequence of jumps that ends with the block empty and one peg next to it. Look for repeatable patterns like this.
Keep the center busy. The center of the board is where most jumps cross. Emptying it too early often splits the remaining pegs into groups that can't reach each other.
Undo is a learning tool. When you end with several pegs, step back to the point where the groups separated and try a different jump.
Boards compared
Board
Holes
Starting pegs
Jumps to win
Jump directions
Default empty hole
English cross
33
32
31
4 (up, down, left, right)
Center (d4)
European
37
36
35
4
Left edge, third row (a5)
Triangle
15
14
13
6 (rows and both slants)
Top
Holes on the square boards are named like a chessboard: columns a to g from left to right and rows 7 to 1 from top to bottom, so the center is d4.
Rate your result
Pegs left
Rating
1 in the starting hole
Perfect game
1
Brilliant
2
Excellent
3
Very good
4 – 5
Good try
6 or more
Keep practicing
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of peg solitaire?
All holes but one start with a peg. A move is a jump: a peg jumps over an adjacent peg into an empty hole directly beyond it, in a straight line, and the jumped peg is removed. On the English and European boards you jump horizontally or vertically; on the triangle board you can also jump along both diagonal directions of the triangle. The game ends when no jumps are left, and the goal is to leave a single peg.
How many moves does it take to win?
Every jump removes exactly one peg, so a perfect game on the English board (32 pegs) takes 31 jumps, on the European board (36 pegs) 35 jumps, and on the triangle (14 pegs) 13 jumps.
Can the English board be solved with the last peg in the center?
Yes. Starting with the center hole empty, the English 33-hole board can be finished with one peg back in the center, which is traditionally called a perfect game. This game marks a finish in the starting hole as perfect.
Why does the European board not start in the center?
On the 37-hole European board, a game that starts with only the center hole empty can never be reduced to a single peg. This is a known mathematical result based on dividing the holes into classes that change in a fixed pattern with each jump. The default start here uses a hole on the left edge, which can be solved down to one peg.
How does the hint work?
The hint runs a depth-first search from your current position, remembering positions (and their mirror images) that are known dead ends. If it finds a way to one peg, it highlights the next jump. On the large boards the search is limited to a few seconds, so if it cannot finish in time it tells you to undo a little and try again.
What is the triangle peg game?
It is a 15-hole version shaped like a triangle with 5 rows, often found on restaurant tables. Pegs can jump in six directions along the rows and both slanted sides. Starting with the top hole empty, it can be solved down to one peg.
Is peg solitaire the same as Brainvita or Hi-Q?
Yes, those are other names for the same game, usually played on the English 33-hole board with marbles or pegs. Marble solitaire is another common name.
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