Overview
Solitaire is a patience card game. This guide uses a straightforward common ruleset and notes where versions often differ.
Objective
Move all 52 cards to four foundation piles, one per suit, from Ace through King.
What You Need
- Standard 52-card deck
- 1 player(s), as appropriate
- A clear table or playing area
Setup
For Klondike Solitaire, deal seven tableau columns: 1 card in the first, then 2 through 7, with only the top card of each column face up. The remaining cards form the stock.
How to Play
- Build tableau cards downward in alternating colours.
- Move face-up sequences together when they remain in valid alternating descending order.
- Move Aces to foundations and build each foundation upward by suit.
- Turn over newly exposed face-down tableau cards.
- Use the stock and waste to find additional playable cards.
Scoring / Winning
A physical game is normally simply won or lost. Digital versions may add timed or move-based scoring, but no score card is required for this guide.
Worked Example
A red 8 can be placed on a black 9. A 7–6–5 alternating-colour sequence can move together onto a valid 8.
Strategy Tips
- Expose face-down tableau cards whenever possible.
- Do not rush every card to the foundations if it blocks useful tableau moves.
- Use empty columns strategically; only a King may normally start an empty Klondike column.
Common Mistakes
- Building tableau cards in the same colour.
- Moving a non-King into an empty column.
- Forgetting foundations must stay in one suit.
Variations & House Rules
Draw-one and draw-three Klondike are common. Vegas scoring and limits on stock passes may also be used.
FAQ
Can any card fill an empty tableau column?
In standard Klondike, only a King or a sequence headed by a King.
Do foundations alternate colours?
No. Each foundation contains one suit in ascending order.