Klondike is the solitaire almost everyone means when they say solitaire: seven piles, one deck, and four foundations to fill from Ace up to King.
The game is older than the computer it usually arrives on. It appears in print in the eighteenth century, most likely from northern Europe, and it reached most people through Windows in 1990. The rules here are the ones it has always had, with a hint button added for the deals that stop making sense.
How to play Klondike Solitaire
A single 52 card deck is dealt into seven piles, the first holding one card and the last holding seven. Only the top card of each pile starts face up.
The remaining 24 cards sit in the stock at the top left, and the four foundations wait empty beside it.
- Move Aces up to the foundations as they appear, then build each foundation in its own suit: Ace, two, three, and on to the King.
- Build the seven piles in the opposite direction, downwards and in alternating colours. A red six goes onto a black seven.
- Move an ordered run as a single unit rather than card by card.
- Turn a card face up the moment you uncover one.
- Only a King can move into a column you have emptied.
- Turn cards from the stock when the table offers nothing.
- Press the magnifying glass if you cannot see a move. It will find one if there is one.
Tips and strategy
A deal is usually decided by how quickly you free the face down cards, not by how fast the foundations fill.
- Play from the longest pile first. That is where most of the hidden cards are buried.
- Do not send every card up the moment it fits. A five you have banked cannot catch a four you turn over two moves later.
- Know which King is going into a column before you empty it.
- When two moves both work, take the one that turns a face down card over.
- Some deals cannot be won however well they are played. Losing one is not necessarily a mistake, and a new deal resets the odds.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Klondike Solitaire?
Build the four foundations upwards by suit from Ace to King, and build the seven table piles downwards in alternating colours. Turn cards from the stock when you run out of moves, and win by moving all 52 cards to the foundations.
What can I put in an empty column?
Only a King, either alone or with the ordered run already sitting beneath it. No other card is allowed to start a new column.
Can every game of Klondike Solitaire be won?
No. A share of deals cannot be cleared however well they are played, which is why a lost game is not proof you played it badly.
Is there a hint in Klondike Solitaire?
Yes. The magnifying glass shows a move available on the current board, which is usually enough to get past a position that looks finished.