1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Solitaire

SOLITAIRE (Fr. for “solitary”), a game played on a board indented with 33 or 37 hemispherical hollows, with the same number of balls or marbles. An unoccupied hollow is left by removing one ball, and the balls, or pieces, are then captured as in draughts. No moves are allowed in diagonal directions or over more than one space at a time.