Klondike Solitaire
What Is Klondike Solitaire?
Klondike Solitaire is the classic one-player card game — the version that has come pre-installed on computers for decades. You play alone, trying to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one pile per suit, built in order from Ace all the way up to King. Most cards start face-down in seven columns, and your job is to strategically move face-up cards around to uncover the buried ones. It requires patience, planning, and sometimes a bit of luck.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- One player
- A large flat surface
The Four Areas of the Game
- The Tableau: Seven columns of cards spread in a row — the main playing area where most moves happen.
- The Foundation: Four empty spaces in the upper right corner. One per suit. Cards go here in order from Ace to King. Getting all 52 cards here is how you win.
- The Stock: The remaining face-down cards after dealing, placed in the upper left.
- The Waste Pile: Cards flipped from the stock go here face-up. The top card is always available to play.
Setting Up the Game
- Deal seven columns from left to right. Column 1 gets 1 card, Column 2 gets 2 cards, Column 3 gets 3 cards, and so on up to Column 7 with 7 cards.
- In each column, all cards are face-DOWN except the very top card, which is turned face-up.
- The remaining 24 cards form the Stock pile, placed face-down in the upper left.
- Leave four empty spaces in the upper right for Foundation piles.
How to Play — Step by Step
Moving Cards on the Tableau
You can move any face-up card — or a group of face-up cards stacked in sequence — from one column to another. The card you are placing must go onto a card that is ONE RANK HIGHER and the OPPOSITE COLOR:
- Red 7 can go on Black 8
- Black Queen can go on Red King
- Red 4 (with Black 3 and Red 2 on top of it) can move as a group onto Black 5
When you move a face-up card off a face-down card, flip the newly exposed card face-up. This is how you unlock buried cards.
Using the Foundation
Any time an Ace is available — either in the tableau or from the waste pile — move it to an empty Foundation space. Once an Ace is there, add the 2 of the same suit on top, then 3, then 4, all the way to King. Build each Foundation pile up in suit order.
Empty Columns
If you clear all the cards from a column, creating an empty space, only a King (or a group of cards headed by a King) can fill that empty column. Empty columns are valuable — use them strategically.
The Stock Pile
When you run out of useful moves in the tableau, flip cards from the Stock. In easy mode, flip one card at a time. In hard mode, flip three at a time (only the top card is playable). The top card of the Waste pile is always available. When the Stock runs out, flip the Waste pile back over to restart.
Winning
Move all 52 cards to the four Foundation piles — Ace through King in each suit. You win!
Tips for New Players
- Always prioritize uncovering face-down cards over rearranging face-up cards — hidden cards are what block you.
- Move Aces and 2s to the Foundation immediately whenever they appear.
- Empty columns are powerful — don’t immediately fill them with the first King you see. Wait for a King that has a useful sequence attached.