Quick Facts:

• This board is 12.5” in diameter with 1” diameter marbles
• The board is handmade in the U.S.A. from solid ambrosia maple
• This is the French solitaire variation of the game, dating back to 1687
• Your game will come with the board, 37 marbles, a bag to store them in, and the rules
• It’s a simple game. It’s not an easy game. There’s over a million ways to do this puzzle wrong.

This is my ambrosia maple version of marble solitaire with boulder sized marbles. Sometimes called French solitaire, European solitaire, or Continental solitaire, this is a 36 marble solitaire (as opposed to the 32 marble English solitaire sometimes sold in the U.S. as Hi-Q).

This version of the game can be traced back to the court of King Louis XIV in 1687 and an engraving by Claude Auguste Berey of Anne de Rohan-Chabot, Princess of Soubise who is shown posing with the game. The French literary magazine Mercure galant contains a description of the board in their August 1687 edition, which is the first known reference to the game in print.

The rules are simple. Remove the first marble, and then jump one marble over another into an empty space until you have worked your way down to one marble. Many will attest that while the rules are simple, the game is not easy.

The included marbles will be a wide assortment of styles and colors. While the board will be solid ambrosia maple wood, the picture is just one of the many I have produced. The board in the picture may not be the exact board that you receive; the wonders of nature will produce different patterns in the grain as well as slight variations in color. The board is about 12.5" in diameter. This game uses 1" diameter marbles.

Warning. Choking hazard. Not intended for children under 5 years.