How to play Solitaire

The aim of Klondike Solitaire

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.

Building and uncovering cards

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.

Draw 1, Draw 3 and unlimited passes

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.

The daily deal and free play

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.

Klondike strategy

Look first for moves that expose hidden cards, especially in the taller columns. An empty column is only useful when you have a King ready to occupy it, so avoid clearing one without a plan. With Draw 3, look through a full stock pass before deciding which waste cards to remove. Moving one may make a previously buried card reachable next time. Aces and twos can usually go home promptly, but a higher foundation card may still be useful for building a column. Undo lets you revisit a decision when two similar moves lead to very different positions.

Playing with touch, mouse or keyboard

On a phone, drag a face-up card towards a destination and release it over the pile. When you pick up an ordered run, the whole run follows your finger. An illegal drop returns the cards to their original place. You can also tap a card to send it to a useful legal destination. Tap it again to try another destination when more than one is available. A double tap sends an eligible card to its foundation. Check the corners of overlapping cards before lifting a run: the first card you touch determines how many cards you are trying to move.

With a keyboard, use the arrow keys to focus cards and piles. Press Enter or Space to pick up the focused card and the run below it, move focus to the destination, then press Enter again to drop. Escape cancels a selection. Press Z, or Control and Z, to undo; H asks for a hint. In free play, N opens another game. A bright outline shows the current keyboard focus. You can switch between keyboard, mouse and touch during a game.

Undo, hints and finishing

Undo takes back your most recent action, including a stock draw where applicable. There is no limit on how many earlier actions you may undo while a game is in progress. An action you undo still counts towards your total moves: undo changes the position, rather than erasing the time you spent exploring it. Klondike hints can see face-down cards. A hint points out a source and destination on a proved route, and costs points only when one is found. It can help you find a route, but following a single hint does not promise that every later choice will work. Once the remaining cards can all be safely moved home, a Finish button completes that final sweep.

Daily scoring and saved progress

Every daily begins at 1,000 points. The score loses half a point for each second, one point for each move made and 25 points for each hint. A completed game always earns at least 100 points. Giving up records zero. Time starts when you press Start and continues on the server while you are away, so refreshing or closing a tab does not pause the daily. Your progress is saved on this device. Reopening the same game lets you continue. The result also shows your time, moves, hints and variant, so there is more to compare than points alone.

Make the table comfortable

Open Cards & table to choose large-print faces, four-colour suits, three original card backs or a different felt. Four-colour mode gives each suit a distinct colour, while the suit symbols remain visible. Large-print cards keep a bold index and a clear central suit symbol. Your choices stay on this device. The table fits narrow phones and larger desktop screens, and follows your device’s reduced-motion preference. There are no sounds. Free play keeps separate local statistics for each rules variant: games played, wins, win rate, current and best streak, best time, fewest moves and average winning time.

More games at your own pace

Use Free play for unlimited tables with no daily score. Choose Winnable deals for a starting position that has been completed by our solver, or Random deal for a fresh shuffle which may be impossible. A proved starting deal can still become difficult after your own moves; undo gives you a way to explore another line. New game replaces the current free-play table. Local statistics belong to this browser and are not shared between devices. Return to the daily using the link below the table. You can find more card and logic puzzles on our daily games page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Solitaire the same as Patience?

Patience is the common UK name for single-player card games. This game uses Klondike rules, the version often simply called Solitaire.

What is the difference between Draw 1 and Draw 3?

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.

Is every daily Solitaire deal winnable?

Yes. A solver proves a complete legal solution before publication. Random free-play shuffles may be impossible.

Can I move cards back from a foundation?

Yes. The top foundation card may return to a tableau column when it fits the alternating-colour descending order.

Is online Solitaire free?

Yes. Play the daily Klondike deal and unlimited free play in your browser without an account.