Solitaire Strategy
Most Klondike deals are winnable — but only if you resist the obvious move. These habits will turn losing deals into wins.
Play Solitaire Now1. Uncover face-down cards before anything else
Every face-down card is information you don't have. When you have a choice of moves, pick the one that flips a new card — and when two moves both flip a card, prefer the column with more face-down cards underneath, since that's the column most likely to be hiding what you need. Moving face-up cards between columns without uncovering anything is usually wasted motion.
2. Don't rush cards to the foundation
Aces and Twos should go up immediately — they never help on the tableau. But from the Three upward, hold cards back unless the opposite-colour card one rank below is already on a foundation too. A red Five on the foundation can't hold the black Four you may need to move to free a column. As a rule of thumb, keep the foundations within one or two ranks of each other.
3. Treat empty columns as gold
An empty column is the most powerful space on the table — but only if you have a King to put in it. Don't empty a column just because you can; wait until a useful King (ideally one with a long run behind it, or one whose colour lets you build the cards you're stuck on) is available. Before you fill it, ask which King unlocks the most cards.
4. Work through the stock before committing
On your first pass, draw through the whole stock once before making optional tableau moves. Knowing what's in the waste — and in what order it will come back around — lets you plan moves that free the cards you actually need, rather than the ones that happen to be on top. Play from the waste only when it uncovers something or unlocks a future move.
5. Choose your colours deliberately
When you can place either of two same-rank cards (say a red Seven from column three or a red Seven from the waste), pick the one that uncovers a card or frees a column. And when choosing which King to move into an empty column, consider the colour: a black King lets you build a red Queen and black Jack beneath it, so pick the King whose colour matches the run you are trying to release. Think one move ahead about what each choice lets you build next — and use Undo when you get it wrong.
Practice makes perfect
New to the game? Start with our how to play Solitaire guide.
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