Klondike Solitaire rules and how to play
Klondike Solitaire is a single-player game played with a standard 52-card deck. The goal is to move every card to four foundations, built up by suit from ace to king. A game usually takes 5 to 20 minutes, and between 80 and 90 percent of deals are theoretically winnable, though many are hard in practice. You can play Klondike now.
What you need
You need a standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Online, everything appears on one page: seven columns on the board called the tableau, four empty piles called the foundations, one stock, and one waste. You do not have to shuffle or deal yourself.
Setting up the game
The seven tableau columns are arranged from left to right. The first column has one card, the next two, the third three, and so on up to seven cards in the seventh column. That is 28 cards on the board in total.
The top card of each column lies face-up, and the cards beneath lie face-down. You only see the top card of each column until you move it. Then the next card appears and turns face-up automatically.
The remaining cards, 24 of them, go into the stock to the right. The four foundations start empty. You click the stock to flip a card into the waste, and from there you can move it onto the board or onto a foundation.
The cards themselves are larger here than on most other solitaire sites. See more about why we made that choice.
How to play
On the board you build descending rows with alternating colors. A black nine can go on a red ten, but not on a black ten. You can move a single card or a whole row of face-up cards to another column, as long as the row matches.
When you move a card off a tableau column, the new top card is turned face-up if it was previously hidden. You almost always want to turn over hidden cards as soon as you can, because they are the key to new moves.
Onto the foundations cards go one at a time. You start with an ace in each suit (hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs). The next card that goes on that pile is the two of the same suit, then the three, and so on up to the king. You can move a card back from a foundation onto the board if you need to, but that is rarely a good idea.
An empty column on the board can only be filled by a king, alone or with a row starting from a king. This is a strong position — a king on an empty column opens space for longer rows.
The stock flips one card at a time into the waste when you click it. You can move the top card of the waste onto the board or onto a foundation. When the stock empties you can click again to turn the waste over and use it again — the recycling is unlimited.
How you win
You win when all 52 cards have moved onto the foundations, in the right order from ace up to king in each suit. At that point the board is empty and the four piles stand with thirteen cards each.
Some solitaire sites offer automatic completion when every card on the board has turned face-up, because at that point the outcome is decided. Big Card Solitaire does not support that yet, and you finish the game with manual moves until the last card has reached its pile.
When the game ends
The game ends in one of two ways. You win when every card is on the foundations. You lose when there is no legal move left and the stock yields nothing new when you recycle it.
Some deals are simply not winnable, no matter how well you play. That is not your fault but the luck of the shuffle. Start a new game and try again.
Tips for beginners
Turn the stock first. You need to see what is there before you decide your next steps on the board.
Prioritize turning over hidden cards. Each hidden card you uncover gives you new possible moves, and is often worth more than building on a foundation.
Do not rush with the aces and twos. You sometimes need them on the board to keep going. If you send them up too early the game can stall.
If you get stuck, try the hint button. The hint button on the Klondike board points to one legal move, and you can also press H on the keyboard.
This is a short overview. Deeper advice for beginners is coming in a later article. Until then you can start playing now.