Peg Solitaire
Jump pegs over each other. Try to leave just one.
How to play Peg Solitaire
Peg Solitaire is a classic puzzle for one player. It is also called Solo Noble, Hi-Q or Brainvita. The board is full of pegs, except for one empty hole. You remove pegs by jumping over them, a bit like in Checkers.
Goal
Remove as many pegs as you can. The best result is one peg left. If that last peg ends in the hole that was empty at the start, you have a perfect game.
Turn by turn
- Tap or click a peg to pick it up. The holes it can jump to light up.
- Tap a lit hole. The peg jumps over the peg next to it and lands in the empty hole just behind.
- The peg that was jumped over is taken off the board.
- A jump must go over exactly one peg, in a straight line, into an empty hole. You cannot jump over an empty hole or over two pegs.
- Made a bad move? Press Undo as many times as you like. Stuck? Press Hint and the game shows a jump that can still lead to one peg.
Two boards
The English board is a cross with 33 holes. It starts with 32 pegs and the centre hole empty. Pegs jump up, down, left or right, never on a slant. The Triangle board has 15 holes in five rows, with the top hole empty. Here pegs can jump in six directions along the lines of the triangle. It is shorter and a good place to learn.
Keyboard
Move between holes with the arrow keys. Press Enter or Space to pick up a peg, then again on the hole you want to jump to. Press Escape to put the peg down.
End of the game
The game ends when no more jumps are possible. Your score is the number of pegs left: 1 peg is Genius, 1 peg in the starting hole is Perfect, 2 pegs is Excellent, and so on. Want a different kind of puzzle? Try Sudoku.
Strategy tips
- Work from the outside in. Pegs at the far ends of the arms are the hardest to remove. Clear them early, while there are still pegs around to help.
- Do not leave lonely pegs. A peg with no neighbours can never be jumped or jump again. Keep your pegs in groups.
- Keep the centre for last. On the English board, try to empty the arms first and finish near the middle.
- Think in packages. Groups of three pegs in a line next to a full row can often be cleared with three jumps. Look for these patterns.
- Use Undo to explore. If a plan fails, go back a few moves and try another path. Ask for a hint to check if one peg is still possible.
Peg Solitaire FAQ
Can every game end with one peg?
Yes, both boards can be solved with one peg left from the start. But one wrong jump can make it impossible, so plan ahead.
What is a perfect game?
A perfect game ends with one peg in the hole that was empty at the start. On the English board, that is the centre hole.
How does the Hint button work?
The game searches for a path from your current position to a single peg and shows the first jump. If no such path exists, it tells you to undo a few moves.
Can I jump diagonally?
Not on the English board, where jumps go only up, down, left or right. On the Triangle board, jumps follow the six lines of the triangle.
