Solitaire, also called Klondike or Patience, is a card game for one player. You use a single 52-card deck and try to move every card onto four foundation piles, one per suit, building each from Ace up to King. This guide covers the layout, every legal move, and the difference between Draw 1 and Draw 3. When you are ready, play a game here.
The layout
- Tableau: seven columns in the middle. Column 1 starts with one card, column 2 with two, and so on up to seven. Only the last card of each column is face up.
- Stock: the 24 cards left after dealing the tableau, face down. You turn cards over from here when you run out of moves.
- Waste: the pile of cards you have turned over from the stock. Only its top card can be played.
- Foundations: four empty piles at the top. Each one holds a single suit, built from Ace to King.
The rules of movement
- Build down in alternating colours on the tableau. A red 6 can go on a black 7, and a black 6 on a red 7.
- Move runs together. A set of face-up cards that already follows the down-and-alternate pattern can be moved as one unit onto a card one rank higher and of the opposite colour.
- Turn up hidden cards. When you move the last face-up card off a column, the card under it turns face up.
- Only Kings fill empty columns. A King, or a run that starts with a King, is the only thing that can go into a gap.
- Start each foundation with an Ace. Then add the 2, 3, 4 and so on of the same suit, in order.
- Use the stock when you are stuck. Turn over one card (Draw 1) or three (Draw 3). When the stock runs out, flip the waste back over to make a new stock and go through it again.
You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
Draw 1 versus Draw 3
In Draw 1 every card of the stock is playable in turn, which makes the game noticeably easier. In Draw 3 you turn over three cards but may only play the top one, so the cards beneath it are available only after you play it or go around again. Draw 3 is the traditional rule and rewards planning, because the order in which cards come out of the waste changes with every pass. You can try it on the Solitaire Turn 3 page.
A worked example of the first minute
Suppose the tableau shows a red 7, a black 6, and a red 5 among its face-up cards. Place the red 5 on the black 6. If the card under that red 5 was face down, it flips over, and you now have a new option for free. If the exposed card is an Ace, send it straight to its foundation. If it is a card that cannot move yet, look at the stock before deciding what to do next. The general habit is to prefer moves that reveal a hidden card, because information and options come from face-down cards.
Common beginner mistakes
- Filling an empty column with the first King you see instead of the King that has a Queen of the opposite colour ready to follow it.
- Sending every low card to the foundations immediately. Aces and 2s are safe, but a 5 may be more useful on the tableau, where it can hold a 4.
- Cycling through the stock without moving anything. If a full pass changes nothing, the position is stuck.
For habits that help you win more often, read the Solitaire strategy guide. Use H for a hint and U to undo while you learn.