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Triangle Peg Solitaire
The triangle peg game is the 15-hole version of peg solitaire made famous on restaurant tables across America. Fourteen pegs fill a triangular board with one hole left open, and you clear them by jumping one peg over another. Leaving a single peg is the goal; most first-timers finish with three or four.
Triangle Peg Solitaire Rules
The board has 15 holes arranged in a triangle of five rows. All holes but the top one start with a peg.
Move by jumping a peg over an adjacent peg into an empty hole directly beyond it, in a straight line along any of the board's three directions. The jumped peg is removed.
The game ends when no more jumps are possible. One peg left is a perfect game; two is very good; three is respectable.
Triangle Peg Solitaire Strategy & Tips
Work from the edges inward
Pegs stranded on the corners are the hardest to remove later. Clear the corners and edges early while there are still pegs nearby to jump them.
Don't scatter your pegs
Isolated pegs can't be jumped. Keep your remaining pegs close together so every peg has a neighbor to jump or be jumped by.
Think two jumps ahead
Before jumping, check that the move opens a new hole you can use next turn. Jumps that leave no follow-up often end the game early.
Learn a known solution
From the top-hole start, there are sequences that always finish with one peg. Use Undo to retrace your steps until you find one, then try to repeat it from memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the triangle peg game always solvable?
Yes. From the standard start with the top hole empty, it is possible to finish with a single peg, though most random play leaves several.
How many pegs are in the triangle peg game?
The board has 15 holes and starts with 14 pegs, leaving one hole empty so the first jump is possible.
What do the scores mean?
Finishing with one peg is a perfect game. Two pegs is very good, three is respectable, and four or more means there's room to improve.
How is this different from English peg solitaire?
English peg solitaire uses a 33-hole cross-shaped board and only allows horizontal and vertical jumps. The triangle board is smaller and pegs can also jump along the diagonals.