Solitaire here means Klondike, the classic one-player card game also called Patience in the UK. Move all 52 cards to four foundations, one for each suit. Each foundation starts at Ace and builds upwards to King. Seven tableau columns begin with one to seven cards, with only the top card of each column face up. The remaining 24 cards form the stock. The waste holds cards turned over from the stock. Your main task is to uncover the face-down cards while keeping enough room to build useful runs.
Tableau columns build down in alternating colours: put a red Queen on a black King, a black Jack on a red Queen, and so on. You may move a correctly ordered face-up run together. Whenever a move uncovers a face-down card at the end of a column, it turns face up automatically. Only a King, or a run starting with a King, may fill an empty column. The top waste card can go to a column or to its foundation. You may also bring the top card back from a foundation when it helps you rearrange the tableau.
In Draw 1, each stock tap turns over one card. In Draw 3, it turns over up to three cards, and only the top waste card is available to play. If fewer than three stock cards remain, turn over the remaining cards as a smaller packet. When the stock is empty, tap its outline to recycle the waste without shuffling it. Both variants allow unlimited passes. Removing a waste card changes which cards become accessible on the next pass, making Draw 3 a different planning problem rather than simply a slower version of Draw 1.
Monday to Saturday use Draw 1. Sunday uses Draw 3. Every daily starting position has been completed by a solver using legal moves, including the correct draw packets and recycles. A new deal arrives at midnight UK time and everyone receives the same cards for that day. In Free play, choose Draw 1 or Draw 3, then Winnable deals or Random deal. Random shuffles can be impossible, even with unlimited passes. Winnable deals guarantee that a route exists from the opening position, although a particular sequence of choices can still close off that route.
Patience is the common UK name for single-player card games. This game uses Klondike rules, the version often simply called Solitaire.
Draw 1 turns one stock card at a time. Draw 3 turns up to three, with only the top waste card available. Both allow unlimited stock passes.
Yes. A solver proves a complete legal solution before publication. Random free-play shuffles may be impossible.
How to play Solitaire: complete rules and strategy · All our daily games
Klondike hints can see face-down cards when searching for a sure route. A hint costs points only when a route is found.