Originally published at https://bestlatestapps.com/blog/play-klondike-solitaire-online-rules-and-winning-tips/.
Klondike solitaire is the card game most people mean when they say "solitaire", thanks to its long run as a built-in Windows game. Seven columns, a stock pile, four foundations to fill from ace to king. Solitaire plays the classic version with draw-one or draw-three, undo, and a move counter and timer.
Steps
- Choose Draw 1 or Draw 3, then press New game.
- Turn cards from the stock, move cards onto the tableau or a foundation, and use undo when you want a move back.
- Fill every foundation. The move count and time record your game.
The rules in short
- Tableau: build downward in alternating colours (red 9 on black 10). A face-up run that follows this pattern moves together. To move one, select its highest card and tap a legal column.
- Empty columns accept only a king (or a run starting with a king).
- Foundations: one per suit, built up from ace to king.
- Stock: the top card is the next one you turn. In draw-three, three cards are shown and only the last one is playable.
- Recycling: when the stock runs out, the waste turns face down and becomes the stock again. You can go through it as many times as you like.
You win by moving all 52 cards to the foundations.
Draw one or draw three?
Draw one is easier and more relaxed: every card in the stock is reachable on every pass. Draw three is the traditional harder version: only every third card is directly playable, and what you can reach changes as you play cards off the waste. If you're new, start with draw one.
Tips that genuinely help
- Expose face-down cards first. The biggest constraint is the hidden cards in the tableau. Prefer moves that flip one over.
- Work on the longest columns. The rightmost columns hide the most cards; uncovering them early opens up the game.
- Don't empty a column without a king ready. An empty column is only useful for a king. Clearing it with no king to place wastes it.
- Don't rush cards to the foundations. A 4 sitting on a foundation might be exactly the card you need to hold a red 3 in the tableau later. Low cards (aces and 2s) can go up immediately; be more thoughtful from about 4 upward.
- Choose kings carefully. With an empty column and two kings available, pick the one that unlocks more face-down cards or matches the queens you can move.
- Use undo to learn. If you reach a dead end, step back a few moves and try another path. It's a single-player game; no one's judging.
Not every deal is winnable
Some Klondike deals simply can't be solved, especially in draw-three. If you've tried a few paths and the stock offers nothing, start a new game. Good players still lose plenty of hands.
A good break game
A game takes a few minutes, needs no account, and stops whenever you do. It's the kind of short, absorbing break that clears your head better than scrolling.
Privacy
According to the page, everything runs on your device, and the current deal stays in the tab until you close it. Google ads appear on the page, as across the site.
FAQ
Can I play draw one and draw three? Yes, switch in the Draw menu.
How do I move a run of cards? Select its highest card, then tap a legal column.
What happens when the stock is empty? The waste turns over and becomes the stock again.
How do I win? Move all 52 cards to the foundations, ace to king by suit.
Deal a hand on Solitaire.
— Alok Kumar Singh