How to Play Chinese Patience
Chinese Patience is a compact, competitive solitaire for two players. This guide gives a friendly, beginner-ready walkthrough and tips to get you playing quickly. For more guides like this, visit Playmore.
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Game | Chinese Patience |
| Family | China competitive patience |
| Typical players | 2 |
| Deck or components | One standard 52-card French-suited deck per player |
| Goal | Build cards into legal foundation piles faster than your opponent (exact goals vary by version) |
| Play time | Varies by version and player speed |
What you are trying to do
At its heart, Chinese Patience is a race. Each player manages a small solitaire layout and competes to move cards to shared or private foundations. You take turns making legal plays. You can often use or interact with your opponent's exposed cards. Which exact piles you build and the legal sequences depend on the version, so your group should check the authoritative rules for the precise layout and move set before you play.
What you need and how to set up
You need one normal 52-card deck for each player. No special cards are required. Shuffle each deck separately. The common versions use a tableau and foundation area for each player, plus some shared piles, but the exact deal and number of face-up cards change by edition. Agree with your opponent which version you will use, then follow that deal pattern. If you’re trying this for the first time, choose a simple preset layout from the official rules and deal slowly so you understand where each pile starts.
How to play
- Decide who leads. Players then alternate turns making one or more legal moves each turn as your chosen version allows.
- On your turn, draw or reveal cards from your stock or waste pile according to the version rules. Exposed cards are the ones you can play.
- Play any legal card from your layout to the foundations. Foundations are built in the direction and order your version requires (this is version-dependent).
- Build on your tableau columns when the rules allow. Some versions let you transfer sequences; others allow only single-card moves.
- When the rules permit, you may play onto or take certain exposed opponent cards. Use these moves carefully — they can open or close both players’ options.
- If you cannot or choose not to move, your turn ends and the opponent takes theirs. Follow any redeal or refill rules that your group agreed on.
How a round or game ends
End conditions vary. Commonly a round ends when one player completes all required foundations or when no legal moves remain for both players. Scoring and match formats (single round, best-of, points) differ between rulesets. Because details like exact winning piles and final scoring change by version, check the authoritative rules before you keep score.
Beginner tips
- Play slowly at first. Learn which cards are exposed and which moves open the most options.
- Keep your foundations visible. It helps you and your opponent see shared opportunities at a glance.
- Watch your opponent’s exposed cards every turn. A card you leave available might give them a big chain of plays.
- Prefer moves that free hidden cards from your tableau. Hidden cards are the main bottleneck.
- Agree on the exact rule variant before you begin. Small deal or build differences change strategy a lot.
FAQ
How many decks do we use?
Use one standard 52-card French-suited deck per player. You do not need any special deck or extra cards.
Can I play cards from my opponent’s layout?
Some versions let you use certain exposed opponent cards; others do not. This guide describes the shared-usage idea but not every specific allowance. Check the version rules you agreed on.
Where can I find the exact, authoritative rules?
This page is a beginner overview. Exact deal, build order, redeal, and scoring rules differ by version. Check the authoritative rules online for the precise version you want to play before you start.