How to Play Klondike Solitaire
How to Play Klondike Solitaire
Klondike Solitaire is the classic one-player card game often called simply “Solitaire.” You need a normal deck of cards, and the goal is to uncover hidden cards, make smart moves, and build every suit from Ace to King. This guide uses one common version; house rules and computer games can vary. If you need one, you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore.
Quick facts
| Players | 1 |
|---|---|
| Cards | 52-card deck, with no Jokers |
| Main area | Seven-column tableau |
| Draw style | Draw one card at a time |
| Goal | Build four suit piles from Ace through King |
What you are trying to do
Your target is to move all 52 cards to four foundation piles. A foundation is a suit pile built upward in order: Ace, 2, 3, 4, and so on through King. There is one foundation for each suit: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. You win when every card is on a foundation.
Most of the work happens in the tableau, the seven columns in front of you. You arrange tableau cards downward, with colors alternating. For example, a black 9 can go on a red 10, while a red Queen can go on a black King.
What you need
Use a standard 52-card deck and shuffle it well. You will also need a flat surface with enough room for seven columns, a stock pile, a waste pile, and four foundations. The stock is the face-down draw pile. The waste is the face-up pile where drawn cards wait until they can be used.
Set it up
- Deal seven columns from left to right. The first column gets one card, the second gets two, and continue until the seventh gets seven cards.
- In each column, keep every card face down except the top card. Turn those seven top cards face up. The first column has one visible card; the seventh has seven cards with only its top card visible.
- Place the 24 undealt cards face down above or beside the tableau. This is the stock.
- Leave space beside the stock for the waste, and leave four empty spaces above the tableau for the foundations.
How to play
- Look for useful tableau moves. Move a visible card onto a visible card that is exactly one rank higher and the opposite color. Rank means a card’s position in order, such as 7, 8, 9, or Jack. A red 7 may go on a black 8; a black Jack may go on a red Queen.
- Move an ordered group together. If several face-up cards already form a descending, alternating-color sequence, move the whole sequence as one unit. For instance, a red 8 with a black 7 beneath it can move onto a red 9.
- Reveal hidden cards. Whenever you remove the face-up card from a column and expose a face-down card, turn that newly exposed card face up immediately. Revealing cards gives you more choices.
- Fill empty columns correctly. Only a King may be placed in an empty tableau space. You may move a lone King or a face-up sequence that begins with a King.
- Start the foundations. When an Ace becomes available, place it in an empty foundation space. Add cards of that same suit in ascending order, one rank at a time. A foundation beginning with the Ace of hearts can receive only the 2 of hearts, then the 3 of hearts, and so forth.
- Use the stock one card at a time. Turn the top stock card face up onto the waste. In this draw-one version, that single card is available to play on a foundation or tableau if it fits. If it does not fit, leave it on the waste and draw the next card.
- Keep checking the waste. Only the top waste card can be played. If you move it away, the next card underneath becomes available. You can place a waste card on a foundation or on a tableau column when the usual rules allow it.
- Recycle the stock when needed. After the stock is empty, turn the waste pile face down to make a new stock, keeping the cards in their existing order rather than shuffling. In this beginner guide, you may cycle through the stock as needed. Some versions limit the number of passes, so agree before starting if you want a stricter challenge.
- Move carefully. Before making a move, ask whether it uncovers a hidden card, opens a space for a King, or frees a card needed by a foundation. You can also move a foundation card back to the tableau if it helps create a legal sequence; this is a common beginner-friendly rule.
How you win
You win by placing every card on the four foundations, with each suit running from Ace to King. The final cards may come from the tableau or the waste. If no legal move remains and the stock cannot help, the game is stuck. That is normal: not every deal can be completed, and learning which cards to uncover is part of the challenge.
Easy first-game tips
Start by searching the tableau for moves that reveal face-down cards. An uncovered card is usually more valuable than a move that only rearranges cards you can already see. When you have a choice, prefer the move that exposes a new card or creates an empty column.
Do not rush every Ace to a foundation. Usually that is helpful, but a low card can sometimes be useful in a tableau sequence. Also watch the Kings: putting a King into an empty column can be powerful, but choose a King that brings several hidden or blocked cards along with it.
Keep the colors and ranks in mind rather than focusing on suits in the tableau. Suits matter in the foundations; in the tableau, only opposite color and one-higher rank matter. If you want to track a timed game or a personal challenge, use paper or a notes app, but scorekeeping is optional.
Quick questions
Can any card go into an empty tableau column?
No. Only a King, either alone or leading a legal face-up sequence, may fill an empty column.
Can I draw more than one card from the stock?
Not in standard draw-one Klondike. Turn over one card at a time, and play only the top card of the waste.