Klondike Solitaire

How to play

Klondike Rules

Klondike is the classic game of patience: one deck, seven columns, and four foundations to fill. It’s the solitaire most people mean when they say solitaire.

Start with the goal

Every deal here can be won. Before a deal reaches you, a solver has played it through to the end, so when you’re stuck the answer is on the table somewhere.

The goal

Move all 52 cards to the four foundations at the top right, one per suit, built up from Ace to King. When the last King goes home, the deal is won.

Build the hearts foundation from Ace to King. Do the same for each of the other three suits.

The table

The deal makes seven columns: the first has one card, the last has seven, and only the top card of each is face up. The rest of the deck is the stock, at the top left, with the waste beside it.

The columns start with one to seven cards, with only the last card in each column face up.

Building the columns

In the columns, a card goes on the next card up of the other colour: a red 9 on a black 10. You can move a whole run of face-up cards at once, as long as its top card fits where it lands.

When a move uncovers a face-down card, it turns over. Only a King, or a run starting with a King, can go into an empty column.

Try a move with Lyra

Face-down card

Select the red 9, then the black 10.

The stock and waste

Click the stock to turn cards onto the waste: one at a time in Draw One, three at a time in Draw Three, where only the top one can be played. When the stock runs out, click it again to turn the waste back over. You can go through it as often as you like.

Turn a card from the stock onto the waste. The 7 of diamonds is now available to play.

Draw One or Draw Three

Draw One shows you every card in the stock, one by one, and is the gentler game. Draw Three keeps two of every three cards out of reach until the ones above them are played, which makes planning matter more. Each mode keeps its own records.

Draw One turns up one card. Draw Three turns up three, but you can only play the top card, the 7 of diamonds in this example.

Moving cards

Drag a card or a run to where it goes, or click it and then click where it should go. Double-click a card to send it where it goes: home to its foundation if it can, or onto a column it fits, taking the cards below it along. A single click sends an Ace straight up. U undoes a move, H shows a hint, and N opens the menu. Once every card in the columns is face up, Auto-complete plays the rest of the game out for you, the stock included.

Select the Ace of spades once to send it straight to the spade foundation.

Ready to play?

Choose Draw One or Draw Three and put your next deal on the table.

Play Klondike