Overview
These are the rules for Klondike, the version bundled with Windows and the one most people mean by "Solitaire".
No governing body publishes rules for this game. This page describes the most common form. House rules vary, so agree them before you start. The goal is to build all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one per suit, Ace to King.
1. Setup
Deal seven tableau piles from left to right: one card in the first, two in the second, up to seven in the last. The top card of each pile is face up; the rest stay face down.
That uses 28 cards. The remaining 24 form the stock.
Leave space above the tableau for four foundations.
2. Moving cards
On the tableau, build downward in alternating colours — a red six goes on a black seven. You may move a single card, or a correctly-sequenced run, as a unit.
On the foundations, build upward by suit starting with the Ace.
Empty columns may only be filled by a King, or by a run headed by a King. This is the constraint that decides most games.
Turning over a face-down card is free and immediate whenever one is exposed.
3. The stock
Deal from the stock to the waste pile. The top card of the waste is always available to play.
- Draw one — turn one card at a time. Unlimited passes through the stock.
- Draw three — turn three at a time, only the top playable. The standard scored version, and considerably harder.
When the stock runs out, turn the waste over to reform it. Some variants limit you to three passes.
4. Winning
You win when all four foundations run Ace through King.
Cards may be pulled back down from a foundation to the tableau if that helps — legal, though rarely useful.
5. Odds
Some deals can't be won however well you play, and draw-three is harder than draw-one.
6. Strategy
Uncover face-down cards first. Every one turned is new information and new options.
Do not rush to the foundations. A low card sent up early may be needed on the tableau to receive an alternating-colour card.
Prefer moves that empty a column — but only if you have a King ready.
Other solitaire games
| Game | Distinguishing feature |
|---|---|
| Spider | Two decks, build down in suit, eight columns |
| FreeCell | All cards visible, four free cells; almost always winnable |
| Pyramid | Pair cards totalling 13 to remove them |
| Golf | Build a single sequence up or down, regardless of suit |
Moving part of a stack
Yes. You may move any correctly-sequenced portion of a pile, provided the cards moved are in descending alternating-colour order and the destination accepts the top card of that run.
You cannot move a run that is not properly sequenced, and you cannot pull cards from the middle while leaving those above behind.
Commonly argued
- Only Kings fill empty columns.
- Tableau builds down in alternating colours; foundations build up in suit.
- You may move a sequenced run as a unit, not just single cards.
- You can take cards back off the foundations.
- Not every deal is winnable. Losing is sometimes not your fault.
Spotted a mistake?
Corrections are reviewed by an editor before they publish.