Solitaire: the rules of Klondike, and how to win more often

The layout

A shuffled pack of 52 cards is dealt into seven columns (the tableau): one card in the first, two in the second, and so on up to seven. Only the top card of each column lies face up. The other 24 cards form the stock, face down at the top left; cards dealt from it go face up onto the waste beside it. At the top right are four empty foundations, one for each suit.

The rules

• The goal: move all 52 cards onto the foundations, each suit in order from ace to king.
• Columns build down in alternate colours: a card goes onto one a rank higher of the other colour, for example a black 6 on a red 7.
• Runs move together: a face-up card can be moved with all the cards lying on it, as long as it fits where it goes.
• Empty columns take kings: only a king (with the cards on it) can go into an empty column.
• Face-down cards turn up: when the last face-up card leaves a column, the card under it turns face up by itself.
• The stock: tap it to deal onto the waste; the top card of the waste can be played. When the stock runs out, tap it again to turn the waste over and deal through it again, as often as you like.

Draw 1 or draw 3

Choose on the home screen how many cards the stock deals at a time. With draw 1 every card of the stock can be reached on each pass, and most deals can be won. With draw 3 three cards are dealt at once and only the top one can be played, so the cards under it come round only on a later pass: harder, and a favourite of experienced players. Your choice is kept for the next game.

Scoring

The score follows the long-standing standard for Klondike:

The score never goes below zero. Beside it the game counts your moves and the time, from your first move until the last card is home. Your home screen keeps how many games you have won, your fastest win, your fewest moves and your best score.

The daily deal

Every day there is one deal, the same for everyone in the world, played with draw 1. Each daily deal has been checked by the game itself and can be won, so it is a fair puzzle rather than luck. Your best moves and time on it are kept, and the home screen ticks it once you have won it. A new deal comes at midnight UTC.

Hints, undo and finishing

• Hint shows a move worth making: the cards blink and the place they go is outlined. If the best thing to do is deal from the stock, the stock blinks.
• Undo takes moves back, as many as you like (also with Ctrl+Z or Backspace).
• When nothing useful is left to do, the game says No more moves and offers to undo, deal again or go to the menu.
• Once every card is face up and the stock is empty, the game finishes itself, sending the cards home one by one.

Achievements

There are 14 achievements to collect: from your first win to a hundred, winning with draw 3, wins in a row, the daily deal, a win in three minutes or less, one in 110 moves or fewer, and wins without undo or without a hint. "Achievements" on the home screen lists them all, with how far along you are. They are kept on your device.

Tips for winning

• Turn up face-down cards first. Of two moves, prefer the one that frees a card in a column, especially in the columns with the most cards still face down.
• Play aces and twos at once. They are never needed in the columns.
• Do not rush higher cards to the foundations. A 5 or 6 may still be needed in a column to hold a 4 or 5 of the other colour.
• Empty a column only when a king can use it. An empty column is worth most when a king is waiting to move into it and free the cards beneath.
• Choose the right king. When two kings could fill an empty column, pick the one whose queen and jack you can see, so the run grows.
• Deal from the stock last. Make every useful move on the table first; the stock is your reserve.
• Stuck? Undo and try another line. Undo is unlimited: it costs moves, not points.

Controls

Drag a card (and the cards on it) with the mouse or your finger and let go over where it should go. Or simply tap a card: it goes where it best can, a foundation first, then another column. Tap the stock to deal. On a computer, Ctrl+Z or Backspace undoes and Esc goes back to the menu (the game is kept).

Questions and answers

Is Solitaire free?

Yes. It is free to play, with ads in the browser version. There is nothing to buy.

Do I need to download anything?

No. It plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. If you like, you can install it as an app: on Android and in Chrome on a computer, choose "Install app" on the home screen; on an iPhone or iPad, use Safari's "Add to Home Screen". Once installed, it starts even without a connection.

Is my game saved?

Yes. The game in hand and your records are kept on your device, without an account. Leave in the middle of a game and "Continue" on the home screen picks it up again.

Can every game be won?

Not every Klondike deal can be won, even by perfect play, though most draw-1 deals can. The daily deal is always one that can.

Which languages does it speak?

41, from English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish to Turkish, Swahili and Vietnamese. It starts in your browser's language when it has it, and you can change it on the home screen.

Something is wrong, or I have an idea

Write to support@flexygames.com.