How to play Peg Solitaire
One empty hole starts the puzzle. One remaining peg solves it. Take your time, look a jump ahead, and enjoy finding a route through the board.
Jump a peg, leave a space
Select a peg, then choose an empty hole two spaces away on the same straight line. There must be another peg directly between them. Your peg lands in the empty hole and the peg you jumped disappears. Each jump removes exactly one peg.
A plus marks each legal destination for your selected peg. You cannot jump into an occupied hole, across two pegs at once, or over an empty space. When several jumps are possible, choose the one that keeps your next move open.
English cross or triangle?
The English cross has 33 holes and starts with 32 pegs around an empty center. Jumps go left, right, up, or down. Diagonal jumps are not allowed. A complete solution takes 31 separate jumps.
The triangle has 15 holes and starts with 14 pegs and the top hole empty. Jumps follow the triangle's rows or either sloping line, in both directions. A complete solution takes 13 jumps.
In both boards, one peg anywhere wins. Finishing in the English board's center gets a special message, but is not required. Some traditional challenges insist on a particular finishing hole; this version does not.
Undo, hints, and a second chance
Undo takes back one jump. Use it freely to explore a different route. Hint selects a peg and marks one legal destination with a star. It does not solve the whole puzzle or guarantee a winning path.
If no jumps remain, you can undo and keep exploring, or choose Finish run to save your result. After finishing, Play again starts a fresh board. New game and changing boards ask before clearing an unfinished run.
Keep your pegs connected
A lonely peg cannot move without a neighbor. Before removing a peg, check whether another piece will become stranded. Work the outer arms of the English cross toward the middle, and leave pairs that can help you reach the remaining pegs.
On the triangle, watch all three directions. A move along a sloping line can reconnect pieces that look separated across a row. When an attempt stalls, undo a few jumps and change the order instead of repeating the same opening.
Play with touch, mouse, or keyboard
Tap or click a peg and its landing hole. Keyboard players can use Tab to enter the board, arrow keys to move through holes in reading order, and Enter or Space to select. Home and End reach the first and last hole; Escape clears a selection.
There is no countdown and no sound. Nothing moves while you think or leave the tab. Reduced-motion settings remove peg animation. Refreshing or leaving the page resets the current board. Completed best results are stored only in this browser and are casual personal records, not verified rankings.
Another thoughtful break
For another logic challenge, read the clues in Classic Minesweeper. Prefer a little chance with your choices? Try Shut the Box, or browse all our free puzzle games.