Henry Ernest Dudeney/Modern Puzzles/150 - Counter Solitaire

Modern Puzzles by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $150$

Counter Solitaire: This simplification of the board of the old game of Solitaire lends itself to many entertaining little pastimes of patience.; Copy the simple diagram on a sheet of paper or cardboard and use sixteen counters, numbered and placed as shown.

The puzzle is to remove all but one counter by a succession of leaps.

A counter can leap over another adjoining it to the next square beyond, if vacant,

and in making the leap you remove the one jumped over.

But no leap may be made in a diagonal direction.

The following is a solution in eight moves:

$5 - 13$, $(6 - 14, 6 - 5)$, $16 - 15$, $(3 - 13, 3 - 6)$, $2 - 10$, $(8 - 7, 8 - 16, 8 - 3)$, $(1 - 9, 1 - 2, 1 - 8)$, $(4 - 12, 4 - 1)$

This means that $5$ leaps over $13$ and $13$ is removed, then $6$ leaps over $14$ and $14$ is removed, and so on.

The leaps within a bracket count as one move, because the leaps are made with the same counter in succession.

It will be seen that No. $4$ makes the last leap.

Now try to find a solution, in seven moves, in which No. $1$ makes the last leap.

1926: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Modern Puzzles ... (previous) ... (next): Moving Counter Problems: $150$. -- Counter Solitaire
1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Geometrical Problems: Moving Counter Puzzles: $368$. Counter Solitaire