How to play Memory Chess, the wooden board game

Learn how to play Memory Chess, the wooden peg board game. See what is in the box, how to set up, take a turn and win, and the common variants.

Beginner
5 min read
Updated 20 October 2026
By Bing Cheng

Written with AI assistance; chess positions checked by script and game facts traced to the code.

Quick answer

Stand all 24 pegs in the round board with their coloured ends down. On your turn, roll the colour die and lift one peg. If its base matches the die, keep it and roll again. If not, put it back in the same hole and the next player goes. The first to hold four pegs of one colour wins.

Takeaways

The colour is painted on the bottom of each peg, so it is hidden while the peg stands in the board.
A missed peg goes back in the hole it came from. Remembering those misses is the whole game.
The rules card with many sets plays to four of one colour. Other printed rules play until the board is empty.

Who this is for

You have the wooden set with 24 pegs and a colour die, and the rules card is lost or hard to read.
You are teaching the game to a child of three or older.
You searched for Memory Chess and want to know which game you found.

What comes in a wooden Memory Chess set

A round wooden board with 24 holes: 16 in an outer ring and 8 in an inner ring.
24 wooden pegs, four each of six colours. The usual colours are red, yellow, blue, green, black and white.
One wooden die with a colour on each face, one for each peg colour.

Each peg is plain wood on top. Its colour is painted on the base, the end that goes down into the hole. Once a peg stands in the board, nobody can see its colour until it is lifted out.

Sets from different makers look alike, but their printed rules differ a little. Most are sold for ages 3 and up, and a few say 4 and up.

How to set up the board

Tip the pegs out beside the board so every player sees the six colours.
Without looking at the colours, stand all 24 pegs in the holes, colour end down.
Turn the board around a few times, so nobody knows which peg went where.
Put the die in the middle of the board and pick a first player.

How a turn works: roll, lift, keep or put back

Roll the die. The face that lands on top is the colour you are looking for.
Lift one peg you think has that colour and look at its base.
If the colours match, keep the peg in front of you and roll again.
If they do not match, put the peg back in exactly the same hole. Your turn ends and the next player rolls.

A two-player game step by step: setup, a match, a miss that goes back in its hole, and a win.

See the wooden Memory Chess set on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, Memory Chess earns from qualifying purchases.

A miss is what makes it a memory game. Everyone at the table saw that colour, and it is back where it was. The next player to roll it can go straight to that hole.

How to win wooden Memory Chess

The rules card with many sets gives the win to the first player holding all four pegs of one colour. Pegs of other colours do not count towards it.

If nobody gets four of a colour before the board is empty, the player with the most pegs wins. Agree on the win before the first roll, as the variants below change it.

Memory Chess variants and house rules

Printed rules differ between makers. Each row comes from at least one published rule sheet or listing.

Variant	What changes	Where it comes from
Empty the board	Play until every peg is taken. Whoever holds the most pegs wins.	Coopers of Stortford rule sheet, the Huskespil listing and other shops
One of each colour	The first player to hold one peg of all six colours wins.	Coopers of Stortford rule sheet
No extra roll	After a match you keep the peg, but the die passes to the next player.	Coopers of Stortford rule sheet, which only says players take turns
Moving pegs	A missed peg goes back in a different hole, so what you remember goes out of date.	The advanced rule on the Coopers of Stortford sheet
Pairs, no die	Lift two pegs. Keep both if their colours match, otherwise put both back.	Coopers of Stortford sheet and the small foot Colours Memory game
Look first	Everyone studies the colours for about 10 seconds before they are hidden.	One shop's listing

Most sets say two to four players, and some shops list up to six. With more players, each one gets fewer turns, so a miss stays useful for longer.

Tips for playing with children and with adults

With a young child, say the colour out loud every time a peg is lifted, and point to its hole.
For a shorter game, take out the pegs of two colours before you set up. Roll again whenever the die shows a colour you took out.
After a miss, ask who remembers the colour in that hole before the next roll.
Adults and older children can play the moving-pegs rule or the one-of-each-colour win. Both stop one good memory from settling the game early.

Two games share the name Memory Chess

The wooden peg game has no chess rules and uses no chess pieces.

This site is a different game with the same name. Memory Chess online trains memory for real chess positions. You study a position for a few seconds, the board clears, and you rebuild it piece by piece.

It suits chess players, and children who have learnt how the pieces move. Start a round to try it.

4 pieces · 10 s to lookTry 4 pieces, 10 secondsLike finding a peg you saw lifted earlier, this round asks where each piece stood. Four chess pieces is a gentle start for a child who knows them.

Questions

How many pegs are in a wooden Memory Chess set?

Most sets have 24 pegs, four in each of six colours, plus one colour die and the round board. Some shops call this a 26-piece set, counting the board and the die. A few makers list a different count, so check the box.

What age is wooden Memory Chess for?

Most sets are sold for ages 3 and up, and a few makers say 4 and up. A three-year-old can roll the die, name the colour and lift a peg. Older children and adults can add the harder variants.

Do you roll again after a match?

On the rules card with many sets, yes. You keep the peg and roll again, so one good memory can win several pegs in a row. Some rule sheets pass the die after every turn instead. Agree on it before you start.

Is wooden Memory Chess the same as Toy Theater's Memory Chess?

No, but it plays the same way. Toy Theater's free online game has you roll a colour die and pick pins. A wrong pin stays where it was for you to remember. It offers 24, 36 or 40 pieces, against the computer or up to six friends.