Question 1

What is Peg Solitaire?

Accepted Answer

Peg Solitaire (also called Brainvita or Marble Solitaire) is a single-player board game where pegs jump over adjacent pegs into empty holes, removing the jumped peg. The goal is to reduce the board to as few pegs as possible, ideally just one in the centre.

Question 2

What is the English Peg Solitaire board?

Accepted Answer

The English board has 33 holes arranged in a cross shape on a 7×7 grid with the 2×2 corners removed. The centre hole starts empty and the goal is to end with one peg in the centre.

Question 3

What is Brainvita?

Accepted Answer

Brainvita is the popular Indian name for Peg Solitaire, typically played on the 33-hole English cross-shaped board. It is widely sold as a children's puzzle toy across South Asia.

Question 4

What is the difference between English and European Peg Solitaire?

Accepted Answer

The European board has 37 holes — it adds 4 extra holes at the rounded corners of the English 33-hole board. The extra holes give the player slightly more options and make the game marginally easier.

Question 5

How do chain jumps work?

Accepted Answer

In chain jump mode, after completing one jump the same peg may immediately jump again if a valid move exists. The player can chain multiple jumps in a single turn, removing several pegs at once. This is optional — the player chooses when to stop chaining.

Question 6

What is Free Start mode?

Accepted Answer

In Free Start mode, the player clicks any peg to remove it as the opening move, creating the initial empty hole. In Fixed Start mode the starting empty hole is predetermined (usually the centre). Free Start allows exploration of different starting positions.

Question 7

Can Peg Solitaire always be solved?

Accepted Answer

Not always. On the English board, only certain starting positions allow a perfect 1-peg solution. The centre-start game has a known solution ending with one peg at the centre. Many starting holes lead to positions where the best possible result is 2 or more pegs remaining.

Question 8

How do I use the Custom board editor?

Accepted Answer

Select the Custom board tile on the setup screen. A 7×7 grid appears — click any cell to cycle it through three states: peg (filled, brown), empty start hole (green, where the game begins), and no-hole (transparent, excluded from the board). Once your board is designed, click Start to play on it.

Question 9

What are the different goal types in Peg Solitaire?

Accepted Answer

The classic goal is to end with exactly one peg at the centre of the board. A relaxed version accepts one peg anywhere on the board. Pattern goals require reaching a specific arrangement. The toughest challenge is always the centre-peg goal on the English board, which has a known but difficult solution.

Question 10

Which boards are there?

Accepted Answer

Ten board shapes: English, European, French, Triangle (15, 21 and 28 holes), Diamond, Square 7×7, Hexagonal and Octagonal — plus a custom board you design.

Question 11

Is it always solvable to one peg?

Accepted Answer

From the standard English start, yes. Some starting holes on other boards cannot finish in the centre.

Question 12

What is the fewest number of moves?

Accepted Answer

On the English board, counting a chain of jumps by one peg as a single move, the record is 18 moves.

Peg Solitaire — Brainvita & All Variants

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