What this solitaire game does
This is Klondike, the patience game most people simply call solitaire. One player, one standard deck of 52 cards, no jokers. The page deals the cards, checks every move against the rules, counts your moves and time, and keeps your best results for draw 1 and draw 3 on this device. It runs fully in your browser, also without a connection once the page has loaded.
The rules as this game plays them
- The deal: seven columns, the first with one card and the last with seven. Only the top card of each column lies face up. The other 24 cards form the stock in the top left corner.
- The goal: move all 52 cards to the four foundations in the top right. Each foundation starts with an ace and grows by suit, 2, 3 and so on up to the king.
- The columns: a card goes onto a card one rank higher of the other color, so a red 6 goes on a black 7. You can move a whole face-up run, such as 9, 8, 7, as long as its first card fits. Only a king, or a run that starts with a king, goes into an empty column.
- Face-down cards: when you move the last face-up card off a column, the card below turns face up by itself.
- The stock: tap it to turn one card (draw 1) or three cards (draw 3) onto the waste. Only the top waste card can be played. When the stock is empty, tap it again to turn the waste over and go through it once more. There is no limit on these passes.
- Back from a foundation: the top card of a foundation can go back onto a column when you need it there.
Tap, drag, keyboard and undo
A tap or click sends a card to the best legal place. The order is a foundation first, then a column that holds cards, from left to right, then an empty column. If you tap the same card again, it moves on to the next legal place from where it was, and the move count stays the same. A quick double tap does not move the card on, so a card you double tap onto a foundation stays there. If a card has no legal move, the status line under the table says so.
Drag works with a mouse, a pen and a finger. Press on a face-up card, move it and let go over the pile you want. If you pick up a card in the middle of a column, all cards on top of it come along. Undo has no limit and goes back one move at a time, all the way to the deal. Restart deal puts all cards back into the starting layout and resets moves and time.
Once every card in the columns is face up and the rest can be played straight to the foundations, an Auto-finish button appears. It plays the remaining cards for you, drawing from the stock where needed. One Undo takes the whole auto-finish back.
Deal numbers and sharing
Each deal comes from a number between 1 and 1,000,000. The page shuffles the deck with a seeded random generator and the Fisher-Yates method, so the same number always gives the same layout, on every device. The draw mode does not change the layout, only how the stock is dealt. The deal number and the draw mode are part of the page address, and Copy link to this deal copies it. Send the link to someone and compare who needs fewer moves for the same cards. The deals are not checked for a solution, so some of them cannot be won.
A worked example
Say the columns show a black 8, a red 9 and a red ace, and the waste shows a black 7. Tap the ace and it goes to an empty foundation. The card below it turns face up. Tap the black 8 and it goes onto the red 9, which frees the next face-down card in its column. The black 7 from the waste cannot go on the black 8, because the colors must alternate, so tapping it shows that it has no move. A red 7 would fit there. A good habit is to free the columns with the most face-down cards first, because those cards are what block you later.
On a phone
All seven columns fit next to each other on a 320 pixel wide screen. The cards get small there, so the face-up cards in a column overlap and show only their rank and suit. Turning the phone sideways gives larger cards. Tapping is the easiest way to play on a small screen, because a tap needs only the visible strip of a card.
How to play solitaire online
- 1Pick Draw 1 for an easier game or Draw 3 for a harder one. A new deal starts at once.
- 2Tap the stock to turn cards onto the waste, and tap or drag cards to build the columns and the foundations.
- 3Use Undo when a line does not work out. When Auto-finish appears, press it to play the last cards.
- 4After a win, start a new deal or copy the link to share this deal.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move a card?
Tap or click it. The card goes to the best legal place: a foundation first, then a column that already holds cards, then an empty column. Tap the same card again and it moves on to the next legal place, so you can try each option without undo. You can also drag a card, or a run of face-up cards, onto the pile you want.
What is the difference between draw 1 and draw 3?
With draw 1, each tap on the stock turns one card onto the waste. With draw 3, it turns three, and only the top one can be played. Draw 3 is harder because you cannot reach every card on each pass. On this page you can turn the waste over as often as you like in both modes.
What is the deal number for?
Every shuffle comes from a number between 1 and 1,000,000, and the same number always gives the same cards in the same places. The number and the draw mode are in the page address, so Copy link sends a friend the exact same deal. Restart deal plays it again from the start.
Can every deal be won?
No. The page shuffles the cards and does not check them for a solution first, so some deals cannot be solved however you play. If you are stuck, use Undo to try another line, or start a new deal.
How do moves and time count?
Every card move, every draw from the stock and every turn of the waste counts as one move. Undo takes the move back and lowers the count. The clock starts with your first move and pauses while the tab is hidden. Your fewest moves and fastest time are kept for each draw mode on this device.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Press Tab to reach the table, then use the arrow keys to move between piles and between the face-up cards of a column. Press Enter or Space to pick up a card and Enter again on another pile to put it there. Enter twice on the same card moves it to the best place, and Escape drops the selection.