English peg solitaire on the cross-shaped board. Jump a peg over an adjacent peg into an empty hole; remove the jumped peg. Goal: finish with a single peg in the center (or as close as you can).
There is no luck — pure sequence planning.
How to play Peg Solitaire
- Jump horizontally or vertically over one peg into an empty hole.
- Remove the peg that was jumped.
- No diagonal jumps.
- When no jumps remain, the game ends. One peg left is ideal.
Strategy tips
- Work from the edges inward — outer pegs are easier to eliminate early.
- Avoid isolating pegs with no neighbors to jump over.
- Keep the center hole open until late game when possible.
- Symmetry helps: mirror moves on left and right when the board allows.
- Classic solution books exist for the standard cross — experiment, then retry for fewer remaining pegs.
Common questions
Must the last peg land in the center?
Traditional win is one peg in the center hole. Other endings still score how few pegs remain.
