Free Solitaire Online
Classic Klondike Solitaire. Build all four foundations from Ace to King to win.
About This Game
Klondike trains sequential planning with incomplete information, since the face down cards mean you are always deciding without knowing everything. That combination of ordering and uncertainty is closer to real planning than most puzzle games manage.
Not every deal is winnable. Depending on rules and how much replay is permitted, a meaningful share of shuffles cannot be solved by any sequence of moves. If a game feels impossible, it sometimes genuinely is, which is worth knowing before you blame yourself.
Winning around a third of draw three deals is a reasonable standard for a careful player.
The tip most people miss: do not send aces and twos to the foundation on sight. It feels like progress and it is the most common way to lose a winnable deal, because low cards are exactly what you need in the tableau to receive opposite coloured cards and free up buried ones. Send a card up only when nothing in the tableau could still use it. Restraint wins more deals than speed.
How to Play Klondike Solitaire
The goal is to build all four foundation piles from Ace up to King, one pile per suit. Click the face-down stock pile (top left) to flip one card at a time onto the waste pile. Click a face-up card to select it, then click a valid destination to move it. In the seven tableau columns, you can build descending sequences in alternating colours. When a face-down card is left on top of a tableau column, it flips up automatically. Drag kings to empty columns to open new sequences.
Click Controls
- Click the stock (deck, top left) to flip one card onto the waste pile
- Click the stock again when empty to recycle the waste pile
- Click any face-up card to select it (glows blue)
- Click a valid pile or card to move the selection there
- Click the Auto-Move button to automatically move all valid cards to foundations
Tips
- Uncover face-down cards as early as possible. Hidden cards cannot be used until they flip.
- Move cards to the foundation only when it does not block other moves in the tableau.
- Avoid filling an empty column with anything other than a King - empty columns are valuable.
- If two equal-value cards can move to the same foundation, move the one that uncovers more face-down cards.
FAQ
Draw one or draw three?
Can every deal be won?
Is my win count saved?
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How Do You Play Solitaire?
Cards are dealt into seven tableau columns, with the remainder in a draw pile. Move cards between columns in descending order and alternating colour, and build the four suits up from ace in the foundations. Drag or click to move a card, and click the draw pile to turn the next card. You win by moving all fifty two cards to the foundations.
Not every deal is winnable, which is worth knowing before you conclude you played badly. Estimates for standard Klondike put the solvable proportion at roughly four in five.
What Are the Cognitive Benefits of Card and Patience Games?
Patience games exercise planning under incomplete information: you are choosing between moves without knowing what the draw pile holds, which is a different demand from a game where everything is visible.
The wider evidence on puzzle and card games is reviewed in research indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
The honest caveat is that gains are largely specific to the skill you practise. Research on cognitive training transfer found that transfer to unrelated tasks is real but usually modest, so treat these as focused practice rather than general brain training.
Tips to Improve Your Solitaire Score
Always play an ace or a two to the foundation immediately. Prefer moves that reveal a face down card over moves that only rearrange visible ones. Do not empty a column unless you have a king ready to fill it. Think twice before moving a card up to the foundation if it might still be needed to receive a lower card in the tableau.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every game of solitaire winnable?
No. For standard Klondike roughly four deals in five are solvable with perfect play, so an unwinnable deal is a normal outcome rather than a mistake.
What is the single best habit?
Prioritise moves that turn over a face down card. Information is the scarce resource, and rearranging visible cards without revealing anything rarely improves your position.
Should I always move cards to the foundation?
No. A card sent to the foundation cannot come back, and you may still need it in the tableau to receive a lower card of the opposite colour.
When should I empty a column?
Only when you have a king available to occupy it. An empty column with no king to fill it is usually a wasted resource.
Does solitaire have any cognitive benefit?
It is planning practice under uncertainty. Benefits are focused on that skill, and research on cognitive training suggests broad transfer is modest.