What are the basic rules of Peg Solitaire?

A peg jumps over an adjacent peg (horizontally or vertically) to an empty hole beyond. The jumped peg is removed from the board. Diagonal jumps are not allowed (in the standard game).

Spelregels Solitaire - Zo speel je het

Doel

Remove all but one peg from the board by jumping. The ultimate goal is to leave the final peg in the center.

Overzicht

Peg Solitaire (Solo Noble) is a single-player puzzle game involving pegs on a board. By jumping pegs over each other, you remove them one by one, trying to leave just one peg - ideally in the center. It's a classic brain-teaser with surprising depth.

Opzet

The English board is cross-shaped with 33 holes. Start with 32 pegs filling all holes except the center. The European board is circular with 37 holes. Various other board shapes exist.

Hoe te spelen

A peg jumps over an adjacent peg (horizontally or vertically) to an empty hole beyond.
The jumped peg is removed from the board.
Diagonal jumps are not allowed (in the standard game).
Continue making jumps until no more are possible.
The puzzle is solved if only one peg remains.
The best solution leaves the final peg in the center (where the board started empty).

Het spel winnen

Solve by reducing to a single peg. The 'perfect' solution ends with the peg in the center. Any single-peg finish is a success; ending with multiple pegs means you're stuck.

Strategietips

Work from the outside in - don't leave isolated pegs in corners early.

Symmetry can help - try to maintain balanced positions.

Learn patterns that clear sections efficiently.

The complement position (switching empty and filled) gives valid solutions too.

Some starting positions are provably impossible - not every move sequence can succeed.

Plan several moves ahead - rushing leads to dead ends.

There are multiple solutions to the center-to-center challenge.

Varianten

English Board33-hole cross-shaped board (the standard).

European Board37-hole circular/cross hybrid.

Triangular Peg SolitaireTriangle-shaped board, popular in restaurants.

Different starting holesTry starting with different positions empty.

Geschiedenis

Peg Solitaire became popular in France in the late 17th century. Legend credits its invention to a French prisoner in the Bastille, though its true origins are unknown.