What is Klondike Solitaire?
Solitaire — Klondike, to give it its proper name, or patience if you grew up in Britain — is the one-player card game almost everyone means when they say solitaire. Twenty-eight cards go into seven tableau columns, the rest stays in the stock, and the whole job is to get all fifty-two up onto four foundation piles, one per suit, ace through king.
It became the most-played computer game in the world almost by accident. Microsoft shipped it with Windows 3.0 in 1990 — written by an intern, Wes Cherry, with the card faces drawn by Susan Kare — and it was there to teach people how to drag a mouse. Nobody had done that before. The lesson worked, and then everyone kept playing.
How to play
There are three areas: the tableau (the seven columns), the foundations (four empty slots, top right), and the stock you draw from. You win when all four foundations are complete.
- Build the tableau down in alternating colours — a black nine goes on a red ten, never on a black one.
- Build the foundations up by suit, starting with the ace: A, 2, 3, and on to the king.
- Turning over a face-down card is progress. Prioritise any move that does.
- Only a king can move into an empty column, so do not empty one until you have a king ready for it.
- Out of moves? Draw from the stock. When the stock runs out it recycles, so a deal is only lost when nothing at all can move.
Controls
| Action | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move a card or a run | Drag it | Drag it |
| Send a card to its foundation | Double-click | Double-tap |
| Draw from the stock | Click the stock pile | Tap the stock pile |
| Take a move back | Undo in the toolbar | Undo |
| Deal a fresh game | New in the toolbar | New |
Undo is unlimited and free — there is no move counter penalty here — so a dead end costs you nothing but the click back.
Easy or Hard: draw one, draw three
The difficulty switch is not about smarter shuffling. Easy turns one card at a time from the stock, so every card in it is reachable. Hard turns three, and you can only play the top one of each triple — which locks two cards out of every three until the order shifts on a later pass. The deals are the same; what changes is how much of the deck you can actually get at.
Is every game winnable?
No, and that is worth knowing before you blame yourself. With draw-one and perfect play by someone who could see every face-down card, somewhere around eight deals in ten can be won. Playing normally — one card at a time, no idea what is underneath — the real win rate is far lower, and on draw-three lower still. A loss is usually the deal, not you.
Six habits that win more games
- Turn cards over before anything else. A move that reveals a face-down card is nearly always better than one that just tidies the tableau.
- Do not rush aces and twos up. Low cards on the foundations are cards you can no longer use to build with. Send them up when you need them gone, not on sight.
- Work the biggest pile first. The column with the most face-down cards is where the game is actually blocked.
- Empty a column only with a king in hand. An empty column with no king for it is a hole, not an asset.
- Before you draw, look again. The stock is a last resort; every free tableau move is information you already own.
- When there is a choice of kings, count the colours. Placing the king whose colour keeps your alternating runs going is the one that stays useful.
Playing at school or on a Chromebook
The game is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript served over HTTPS from this page. Nothing installs, there is no Flash and no plugin for an admin to block, and it works the same on a managed Chromebook, a school laptop or a phone as it does on a desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Solitaire free to play?
Yes. The game runs in your browser on this page — no download, no install, no account, and no limit on how many deals you play.
What is the difference between Easy and Hard?
Easy turns one card at a time from the stock, so every card in it can be reached. Hard turns three and only the top one of each triple is playable, which keeps two cards in three locked away until a later pass through the deck.
How do I move a card to the foundation quickly?
Double-click it, or double-tap on a phone. If the card is the next one up in its suit it flies to the foundation on its own; otherwise nothing happens and the card stays put.
Can I undo a move?
Yes, as many times as you like. The Undo button in the toolbar walks back through the whole game, and there is no scoring penalty for using it.
Are all Solitaire deals winnable?
No. With draw-one and full knowledge of every face-down card, roughly eight deals in ten can be won; playing blind, the real rate is much lower, and lower again on draw-three. If a deal will not go, deal a new one.
Only a king can go in an empty column — why?
That is the standard Klondike rule and it is what makes empty columns valuable rather than free. Emptying a column with no king available to fill it usually costs you the game.
Does it work on a phone or a Chromebook?
Yes. The layout adapts to the screen and every move works by drag and double-tap, so a phone, tablet, Chromebook or school laptop all play the same.
Is my game saved if I close the tab?
No — each visit deals a fresh game. The star rating under the board is the only thing kept, and it stays in your own browser.
