ProSolitaire › How to Play Klondike Solitaire

How to Play Klondike Solitaire

Klondike is the classic solitaire game most people mean when they just say "solitaire." The idea is simple: sort all 52 cards into four piles, one for each suit, from Ace up to King. This guide covers the layout, the rules for moving cards and how to win.

The goal

Move every card to the four foundation piles at the top. Each foundation holds one suit and is built in order: Ace, 2, 3, and so on up to the King. When all four foundations are complete, you've won.

What you see on the table

• Tableau: seven columns of cards in the middle. This is where most of the game happens.
• Stock: the face-down draw pile at the top left.
• Waste: the pile next to the stock, where drawn cards land face up.
• Foundations: four empty spaces at the top right, where you build each suit from Ace to King.

How the game is set up

The first tableau column gets one card, the second gets two, and so on up to seven cards in the seventh column. Only the top card of each column is face up. That uses 28 cards. The other 24 cards form the stock.

Moving cards on the tableau

On the tableau you build downward, alternating colors. A red card can go on a black card one rank higher, and a black card can go on a red card one rank higher. For example, a red 6 can go on a black 7.

• You can move a card, or a whole run of face-up cards in order, onto another column.
• When you move the top card away from a column, the face-down card under it turns face up.
• When a column is empty, only a King (or a run that starts with a King) can fill it.

Building the foundations

Start each foundation with an Ace. Then add the 2 of the same suit, then the 3, and keep going up to the King. A card must match the suit of the foundation it's going on. You can move the top card of a tableau column or the top card of the waste onto a foundation whenever it fits.

Using the draw pile

When you have no more useful moves on the tableau, turn over cards from the stock. In draw 1, you turn over one card at a time. In draw 3, you turn over three at a time, and only the top card of the three can be played. The card you play from the waste can go to a foundation or onto a tableau column.

When the stock runs out, flip the waste pile back over to make a new stock, and go through it again. Here is how draw 1 and draw 3 compare.

Winning, and what to do when you're stuck

You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. Not every deal can be won, though, so don't be discouraged if you run out of moves. Go through the stock a couple of times to be sure, then start a new game.

Want to play better? Read our strategy and tips, or look up a word in the glossary.