How To Play Klondike Solitaire

Master the most popular Solitaire game in history and play as much as you want for free on your phone or desktop PC. With alternative names such as Patience, Canfield, or just Solitaire, this classic card game is the most well-known, and arguably the most popular version of the Solitaiire family. Interestingly, the game’s origin is rooted in what is known as the “Klondike Gold Rush”, which happened in the Yukon region of Canada back in the late 1890s.

From then to now, Klondike has received many adaptations to its rules, turning it into the card game that we know today. One of the biggest contribution to its fame is its inclusion in the Microsoft Windows, allowing the game to be easily spread across a huge audience from around the globe.

Play Online Klondike Solitaire

Klondike Solitaire, also known as Canfield, is a classic single-player card game. Here, you can play infinite games of online Klondike Solitaire for free. The aim of the game is to systematically arrange all the cards in a deck into four piles, each belonging to their respective suits. The way to do this is to build the suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

Klondike Solitaire Game Rules

When a new game begins, a 52-card deck will be dealt out into 7 columns, with the first column having one card and the number of cards increasing by one for the subsequent columns. The card at the top of each column will be facing up while the rest of the cards behind it will be faced down.

Cards that are faced up can be moved to another column provided they are one less in rank and the opposite color of the top card in the column they are moving to. For example, a black 7 of spades can be moved to a column with a red 8 of hearts. This rule also applies to a stack of cards as long as they are highest to lowest in alternating colors. Moving all cards away from a column will create an empty column, which in turn can be occupied by a King.

To win a game of Soltaire, you are required to fill up the 4 Build Piles at the top with their respective card suits, such as hearts, spades, cloves, and diamonds. This is done in ascending order, starting from Ace to King.

The Draw Pile, which is at the top left side, is where you can draw new cards to be played. The number of cards drawn each turn is determined by which game mode you started with (draw one or draw three). After drawing a new card, you can only play the card below it if you move the new one away first. Once all cards have been drawn from the pile, the pile will be turned back over and you can start drawing cards again.

Klondike Solitaire Tips and Tricks to Win

• The most important step before doing anything is to check out the tableau first and confirm the cards that are faced upwards. This is to ensure you don't miss out on any obvious moves from the start and helps you plan your next moves.


• Uncover as many cards on the tableau as you can before reaching for the stockpile above. This way, you can ensure that you will not miss any useful cards while shuffling through the stockpile while also being able to drag down any King cards if you manage to create an empty slot on the tableau.


• Put any Ace card you find immediately into the foundation piles above. After that, move any subsequent cards that are in the order (Ace, 2, 3, and so on) whenever you find them, and try not to use them on the tableau piles below, as they will get stuck.


• Try to reveal the cards from the largest tableau first. This means you should try moving cards away from that tableau, which will be a great way to uncover as many cards as possible.


• Using a card that is already in the foundation pile. This is a risky move, but it can definitely pay off if you are confident that you can shift away cards from a larger tableau to uncover new cards.


• Use the Hint feature. This is a last resort for most players, but if you are determined to get a win, there is no shame in getting a hint from the computer.

Klondike Solitaire FAQ

Is every game of Klondike Solitaire winnable?
No. In fact, usually the chances of winning a game will drop exponentially as the number of moves you make increase (excluding repetitive moves).

Is Klondike Solitaire a game of strategy or luck?

While the probability of winning every single game of Klondike Solitaire decreases the more you play, it is more likely than not a combination of both skill and luck that is necessary to win most of the games. On the other hand, there is always a possibility that you will find a way to progress even when it looks like you are stuck, depending on the strategy that you utilize (for example, using a card already in the foundation pile to help uncover more faced down cards).

What's the difference between the Draw One and Draw Three game mode?

The main difference between the two modes is you will only open one card at a time for Draw One, whilst you are forced to open 3 cards in one go in Draw Three, which blocks the first two cards you drew before the third card from being played, until you move the third card away.

Does playing Klondike Solitaire benefit your brain?

In a 2014 study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they found that "participants who engaged in cognitive activities like card games have higher brain volume, in specific regions, compared to peers who played fewer or no games." This is definitely a great excuse to play solitaire even more!

Are there other variations to the Solitaire game?

There are more than 565 types of solitaire variations out there. The more popular ones are Spider Solitaire, and FreeCell, to name a few.
Spider Solitaire - Play with 1, 2, or 4 suits and arrange cards into 8 foundations that represent the 8 legs of a spider.
TriPeaks - Clear cards in a tableau shaped as three triangles by matching cards that are one rank higher or lower than waste pile cards.
FreeCell - Use 4 open cells where you can place any card as you organize a tableau of face-up cards.

Play Free Klondike Solitaire Online Dive into the challenge, arrange cards strategically, and conquer the game before time runs out. Join the adventure and test your skills against the clock!