Klondike Solitaire Rules

Objective

Klondike is the game most people mean when they say "Solitaire". It is played alone with one standard deck. The whole deck is shuffled and dealt into a layout, and the aim is to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one per suit, each built in order from Ace up to King. There is no opponent and no score — the shuffle is the challenge.

Players and cards

• Players: 1.
• Deck: a standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Aces are low: A, 2, 3 … 10, J, Q, K.
• Colours: hearts and diamonds are red; spades and clubs are black. Colour matters on the tableau, suit matters on the foundations.

The deal

1. Deal seven tableau columns from left to right: one card in the first column, two in the second, and so on up to seven in the last — 28 cards in all.
2. In each column only the top (last-dealt) card is face up; every card beneath it is face down.
3. The remaining 24 cards form the stock, face down.
4. Four empty spaces above the tableau are the foundations. On CardCouch each foundation is marked with its suit, so an Ace always has one home.
5. The waste is the face-up pile beside the stock where drawn cards go. It starts empty.

Building the foundations

• Each foundation is built up in a single suit: Ace, then 2, 3, 4 … Jack, Queen, King.
• Only an Ace may start an empty foundation, and it must be the Ace of that foundation's suit.
• Cards go up one at a time. You cannot move a run of several cards onto a foundation together.
• A card may come from the top of the waste or the top of any tableau column.
• The top card of a foundation may be moved back to the tableau if it fits there (see below). This is legal, and occasionally useful, but it is rarely a good idea to build a foundation past a card you may still need.

Building on the tableau

1. Tableau columns build down in rank and in alternating colours: a card may be placed only on a card that is one rank higher and the opposite colour. A red Six goes on a black Seven; a black Queen on a red King.
2. You may move a single face-up card or an entire face-up run — a card and everything stacked on top of it — as one unit. The bottom card of the run (the one you pick up) must fit on the destination.
3. A run may be split anywhere: pick up a card partway down a face-up stack and only that card and the cards above it move.
4. A card may be placed only on a face-up card. Face-down cards are never a legal destination.
5. When a move leaves a face-down card on top of a column, it is turned face up immediately. Uncovering these cards is the whole point of moving things around.
6. Empty columns accept only a King, or a run that begins with a King. Nothing else may fill a gap.

The stock and waste

1. Whenever you like — usually when there is no useful tableau move — draw from the stock. CardCouch plays draw-one: each tap turns a single card face up onto the waste.
2. Only the top card of the waste is playable. It may go to a foundation or onto a tableau column. Once it moves, the card beneath it becomes the new top of the waste.
3. When the stock is empty, tap it to turn the waste over: the cards go back to the stock in the same order, so the next pass deals them in the same sequence as before.
4. There is no limit on passes through the stock. You may cycle the waste as many times as you like.

Because every stock card is seen on the first pass and the order never changes, the stock holds no secrets after one full cycle — which is why draw-one with unlimited passes is the friendliest version of Klondike. The strategy guide explains how to use that knowledge.

Moves and undo

• Every action counts as one move: moving a card or run, drawing a stock card, or turning the waste over. The move counter and timer run from the deal until you win.
• Undo takes back the last move and can be used repeatedly all the way to the deal. Undoing a draw puts the card back on the stock; undoing a move that flipped a card turns it face down again.
• The game keeps your personal bests — total wins, fastest time and fewest moves — on your device.

Winning

You win the moment all four foundations are complete — thirteen cards each, Ace through King, every one of the 52 cards home. Not every deal can be won: sometimes the card you need lies face down beneath the only card able to free it. If you have drawn through the whole stock and nothing moves, the deal is stuck; use Undo to try another line or deal a new game.

Common variations

• Draw-three: three cards are turned at once and only the top one is playable. The order of the waste changes with every pass, which makes it markedly harder. CardCouch plays draw-one.
• Limited passes: traditional rules sometimes allow one pass (draw-one) or three passes (draw-three) through the stock. CardCouch allows unlimited passes.
• Vegas scoring: pay 52 "dollars" for the deal and earn 5 for every card placed on a foundation, with one or three passes. Not used here.
• Any card in an empty column: a house rule some players use to soften the game. Under standard Klondike rules — and on CardCouch — only a King may fill an empty column. If you prefer that freedom, try FreeCell or Spider Solitaire, where it is the rule.

Frequently asked questions