Board Setup & Rules

Learn how to play Marble Solitaire.

The Standard English Board
The most common version of Marble Solitaire uses a cross-shaped board with 33 holes.
Standard English Marble Solitaire Board

The board consists of 33 holes arranged in a cross. Initially, 32 marbles fill every hole except for the central one, which is left empty.

Board Layout:

  • A central 3x3 square.
  • Four rectangular arms, each 2x3 holes, extending from the sides of the central square.
Objective of the Game

The goal is to remove marbles from the board by making valid jumps, until only one marble remains. Ideally, this last marble should end up in the central hole (the one that was initially empty).

How to Play: The Rules

A move consists of jumping a marble over an adjacent marble into an empty hole on the other side. The jump can be horizontal or vertical, but not diagonal.

The marble that was jumped over is then removed from the board.

Marbles can only jump over a single marble at a time.

A marble cannot jump over an empty hole.

The game ends when no more valid jumps can be made.

A successful game results in a single marble remaining. A "perfect game" is one where the last marble is in the center hole.

Visualizing a Move
Example of a marble solitaire move

In the diagram: Marble 'A' jumps over Marble 'B' into Empty Hole 'C'. Marble 'B' is then removed.