Peg solitaire is a puzzle for one player: a board full of pegs with a single empty hole. Every move removes one peg, and the goal is to clear the board until only one is left.
The rules
A peg jumps over a peg right next to it and lands in the empty hole just beyond. The peg it jumps over is taken off the board. Every jump removes exactly one peg, so the game always ends.
You win with one peg left. If no peg can jump and more than one is left, the game is over. Undo takes jumps back one at a time so you can try another way.
The boards
Triangle: 15 holes in five rows. Pegs jump along the rows and both diagonals, six directions in all. A quick game of a few minutes.
English: the classic 33-hole cross, starting with the middle hole empty. Pegs jump up, down, left or right, never diagonally.
European: 37 holes, the cross with its inside corners filled in. It starts with a corner of the top arm empty, since this board can’t be cleared to one peg from the middle.
Making a move
Tap a peg to pick it up. The holes it can jump into light up; tap one to jump.
Or drag a peg straight into the hole you want.
If only one peg can jump into an empty hole, tapping that hole makes the jump.
On a keyboard, move the ring with the arrow keys and press Enter or Space to pick up and jump. Ctrl or ⌘+Z undoes.
Tips for finishing with one peg
Work the arms and edges first. Pegs left alone near the rim are the hardest to remove later.
Keep the pegs in one group. A peg with no neighbors can only be removed if another peg comes to it.
Jumping in packages helps: clear a block of three pegs next to an empty hole, then move on to the next block.
For the classic finish on the English board, aim to make the last jump into the middle hole.
Hints and records
Hint looks for a sequence of jumps that still ends with one peg and shows the next one. If one peg is out of reach from where you are, it says so and shows the jump that leaves the fewest pegs, so you know it’s time to undo.
Your best time for clearing each board is kept, along with the fewest pegs you’ve ever left on it.