Klondike Solitaire
Klondike Solitaire is the classic seven-column patience game with unlimited redeals. Free, no install, no sign-up, works offline in your browser.
In Klondike Solitaire, seven columns, four suits, and one goal: build each suit from ace to king. The pile at the top left can be cycled through as many times as you like, so cards are never permanently out of reach.
about 25.5 KB
Works offline after the first visit. No install, no sign-up.
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How to play Klondike Solitaire
The shape of the game
Seven columns are dealt, the first with one card and the last with seven, and only the top card of each column starts face up. Twenty-four more cards wait in the pile at the top left, and the four slots at the top right are where the game is won.
Building the columns
Cards stack downwards in descending order and in alternating colours, so a red six goes on a black seven. A run that is already correctly ordered can be moved as a group. An empty column accepts only a king.
The suit slots
Each of the four slots belongs to one suit and takes the ace first, then the two, and so on. You can take a card back out of a slot, but it costs points, so it is a real decision rather than a free undo.
The pile never runs out
When the pile is empty the whole turned-over stack goes back and you can go through it again as many times as you like. Some versions cut you off after one pass; this one does not.
Deals are random
Cards are dealt at random, so a round is not guaranteed to be winnable — patience is a game of the hands you are dealt, in the browser just as on a table. What is guaranteed is that no card ever becomes unreachable.
Klondike Solitaire Tips and Strategy
Move aces to the slots
An ace is the one card that can never be blocked, and putting it away immediately opens a suit slot for the two, the three and everything after it. It is also worth a hundred points, which means every ace still sitting in a column is scoring nothing. Nothing else you do is as cheap or as useful.
Leave the kings where they are
The empty seventh column is the only place a king can live, and there is only one of them. Until you have found every king you are going to need, moving one into that column spends a card you will not get back without burying the next king underneath it. Wait until the king in your hand is the last one left to place.
Reveal cards, not points
Every card you turn face up is one fewer card you never have to go hunting for in the pile. A move that scores fifty points but leaves seven cards face down can be worth less than an unglamorous move that empties a column. Count what is still hidden before you decide a move is safe.
Spend the pile on purpose
Each trip through the pile is a fresh look at the same cards, so cycling without a reason just wears the stack down for nothing. Before you flip, decide which card you are hunting and which column it will land on. If the tableau can make that move instead, leave the pile closed.
Klondike Solitaire — Frequently Asked Questions
Can a round be impossible to finish?
Yes, sometimes. The cards are dealt at random and a round is not guaranteed to be winnable, which is also true of the card game in real life. The pile can be cycled through without limit, so no card is ever permanently out of reach.
How many times can I go through the pile?
As many as you want. When the pile runs out the whole stack returns and you start again.
Can I undo a move?
Not in this version. You can pull a card back out of a suit slot, but it costs fifteen points, which is the intended way to take a decision back.
Does it need installing or an account?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and works offline after the first visit. Nothing is uploaded and no sign-up is needed.
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