The classic patience game, also known as Klondike Solitaire. Drag cards, or click a card to send it to the best spot.
Want to win more often? Read the Solitaire strategy guide →
How to play Solitaire
The goal is to move all 52 cards to the four foundations at the top right. Each foundation holds one suit, built up from Ace to King.
The layout
- Tableau: seven columns. The first has one card, the last has seven. Only the bottom card of each column starts face up.
- Stock: the face-down pile at the top left. Click it to turn cards over onto the waste.
- Foundations: four empty spaces. Each one starts with an Ace.
Rules
- In the tableau, build downward in alternating colours, for example a red 9 on a black 10.
- You can move a group of face-up cards together as long as they are in order.
- Only a King, or a group starting with a King, can go into an empty column.
- When you move the last face-up card off a column, the card under it turns face up.
- When the stock runs out, click the empty spot to turn the waste back over and go through it again.
Draw 1 or draw 3
Draw 1 turns over one card at a time and is the easier version. Draw 3 turns over three, and you can only play the top one, so many more deals can't be won.
Tips
- Turning over face-down tableau cards matters more than playing from the waste.
- Don't empty a column unless you have a King ready to move into it.
- Don't rush low cards to the foundations if you still need them to build on.
A little history
Patience games, as solitaire is called in Britain, go back to at least the late 1700s in Europe. Klondike takes its name from the Klondike Gold Rush in Canada's Yukon at the end of the 1890s, and is said to have been popular with the prospectors there, though nobody knows for sure who first played it.
It became the best-known card game in the world in 1990, when Microsoft included Solitaire in Windows 3.0. It was written by Wes Cherry, then an intern, and it's often said Microsoft shipped it partly to teach people how to use a mouse: dragging cards is good practice for dragging windows. For many people it was the first computer game they ever played.
Draw 3 is the traditional way to play. Draw 1 became popular on computers, where going through the stock again costs nothing but a click.
Solitaire FAQ
Is Solitaire the same as Klondike?
Yes. When people say Solitaire they almost always mean Klondike, the game with seven columns, a stock and four foundations. Solitaire is also the general name for any card game you play alone, which is why Spider, FreeCell and Pyramid are called solitaire games too.
Is every Solitaire deal winnable?
No. Some deals can't be won however well you play, and in Draw 3 many more get stuck. Draw 1 with unlimited passes through the stock, as played here, is the friendliest version, and most deals can be won with care.
What is the difference between Draw 1 and Draw 3?
Draw 1 turns over one stock card at a time, so you can reach every card. Draw 3 turns over three and only the top one can be played, which hides the other two until the next pass. Draw 3 is the harder, more traditional game.
How many times can I go through the stock?
As many times as you like. When the stock runs out, tap the empty spot to turn the waste back over and start again.
Can I put any card in an empty column?
No, only a King or a group of cards that starts with a King. That's why emptying a column too early can leave you stuck.
Is there an auto finish?
Yes. Once every card is face up and the stock and waste are empty, an Auto finish button appears and sends the rest of the cards to the foundations for you.
Are my stats saved?
Yes, on this device. Games played and won are kept in your browser, separately for Draw 1 and Draw 3. There's no account, so they don't follow you to another device.
Ready for more? The Solitaire strategy guide → covers what to do in every phase of a game.