How to Play Solitaire Board Game

Solitaire board games are fascinating single-player board games. They’re a great way to keep yourself entertained while enhancing your cognitive skills. The puzzle game has been baffling the smartest of brains for centuries!

The board game makes use of a wooden board that has 33 dents in it and 32 marbles that go in them. The player has to remove every marble out of the game until one is left. This last piece should land in the extra dent in the center in order for the player to win. 

The Solitaire Board Game is also commonly known as ‘Peg Solitaire’ and traces back to the year 1697. It is a strategy game that trains your brain to reason and plan, promoting increased cognitive function. An interesting fact that proves Solitaire to be a universally-diverse game: the French and Swedes play it with 36 marbles instead of following the typical 32-marbles game plan. This means that while the objective of the game remains the same, it can be played in a number of ways.

Playing the Solitaire Board Game

The popular Solitaire board game is more than just a time-killer and mood-refresher. It is a single-player puzzle game and what can make a fun game like that any better? Here is all you need to know about the Solitaire board game to start playing: the equipment, your availability and an objective!

Equipment Required

This game consists of 32 marbles that fit in a wooden point board with 33 dents in it. There are quite a few variants of this board game. You may find a plastic board replacing the wooden Solitaire point board or pegs in place of marbles and holes for dents. 

The 33rd hole or dent in the point board is the extra space in the middle of the board. You can play Solitaire on a variety of boards that may be different in shape and size, with a different number of holes and marbles. 

Objective of the game

You set up the game by placing the 32 marbles or pegs in the dents or holes of the board, leaving the extra hole in the center empty. The player should aim to remove every piece, one at a time, so that the final marble ends up in the extra dent that stays empty in the center of the board. 

The puzzle game requires a strategic mind that can plan the movement of all pieces in such a way that they end up with the last dent in the middle. The one-player puzzle is solved and victory is yours when you finally fill the extra hole at the end of the game. 

How to Play- Solitaire Board Game Rules

Most people choose to play this game to have fun in their leisure time. This makes sense because it can keep you entertained without imposing a lot of difficult rules or instructions. Not to mention, you don’t need to find an extra player either. While it may not be on the same difficulty and complexity level as that of a chess game, solitaire does require a healthy amount of planning. 

You can win it by luck, but not having a strategy before you begin can make it difficult to win. This is good for a reason: it strengthens your ability to create mindful strategies, which will come in handy throughout your life. 

It also requires logical thinking and quick decision making for a challenging experience. While it requires thinking and planning, there are also a few rules that you will need to follow. This is how you can prepare and go about the game. 

Preparation

Set your point board by adding all your marble pieces in the holes. The extra hole that you will leave out should be the one in the center. 

If your solitaire came with 33 marbles for the 33 dents in the board, find the marble that’s different. It is usually a different color than the other marbles. Place this marble in the center hole.

How to go about it

You will play the game by removing one marble or peg piece at a time. You can do this by jumping one marble over another so that it lands in a dent.

Standard game play

This is how you can play the standard solitaire board game:

1. Remove the center marble.
2. Choose a marble piece that you want to move. Jump it over a marble adjacent to it and place it in a vacant hole. Do not move diagonally.
3. The marble that you move your piece over should now be removed.
4. Repeat this move until you have no marbles left that can be jumped over.
5. Your game is over when you can’t jump over any other piece. 
6. You win only when your last marble ends up in the center dent.

An advanced version game play

Once you learn and master the standard game, you can switch from basic to an advanced level of the Solitaire. While you can make it challenging for you however you like to, here is one modification. You can change the final hole to any other hole and aim for your last piece to land in it. Then, play it the same way as you would the standard version. 

The rules also remain the same. What is different in this advanced version of the Solitaire board game is the target. The empty hole that you need your last marble to go into is now not in the centre, but somewhere at a side. 

Things to Note

When you begin to play, remember to only move in a horizontal or vertical direction. While the other rules are simpler to understand, messing this up can ruin the fun of the game. 

Another tip that will help you solve Solitaire is to avoid leaving a piece at distance from the rest. You might find it difficult to jump over a marble in future moves if you leave one too far away from others.