The classic card game — build four foundations from Ace to King
Klondike Solitaire is one of the most iconic and widely played card games in history. It rose to global prominence in the 1990s when Microsoft included it as a built-in game in Windows 3.0, and since then hundreds of millions of people have spent countless hours dealing cards across the iconic green felt layout. Despite its simple premise — move all 52 cards to four foundation piles — Klondike Solitaire offers a satisfying blend of strategy, pattern recognition, and chance that keeps players coming back again and again. The game uses a standard 52-card deck shuffled and dealt into seven tableau columns. The first column gets one card face up, the second gets two cards with the top face up, and so on up to the seventh column which receives seven cards with only the top card revealed. The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile, ready to be drawn one at a time to a waste pile. Your goal is to move all cards onto the four foundation piles — one per suit — building each from Ace up through King. Tableau play follows two essential rules: cards must be placed in descending rank order, and they must alternate between red and black suits. A red 7 can only be placed on a black 8, a black Queen on a red King, and so on. These alternating-color sequences are what give Klondike much of its visual clarity and strategic depth. When a face-down card is at the bottom of a stack and all cards above it have been moved away, it automatically flips face up, revealing new options and often unlocking cascading sequences of moves. Empty tableau columns are precious real estate. Only a King (or a sequence led by a King) may be placed in an empty column, making it important to think carefully before clearing an entire column. Misuse of an empty column is one of the most common reasons a game becomes stuck, so experienced players treat empty columns as valuable resources to plan around. The stock pile adds an element of controlled uncertainty. When you click the stock, one card is turned face up onto the waste pile. Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play at any time. When the stock is exhausted, the waste pile is turned over to form a new stock, and you can cycle through it again. The draw-one variant (which this implementation uses) is considered more forgiving than draw-three, giving you more access to stock cards over successive passes. Scoring in Klondike traditionally rewards moving cards onto foundations, with bonus points for speed. This implementation calculates a score based on the number of cards on foundations, the elapsed time, and the number of moves made — rewarding both efficiency and quick thinking. Auto-complete is a fan-favorite feature that triggers once all cards are face up. At that point the game can be solved mechanically, so the calculator automatically moves cards to the foundations one by one, giving you the satisfying visual of all cards marching home while your score is finalized. You can also double-click any top card to instantly send it to the correct foundation if one is ready. Klondike Solitaire is not always winnable from every shuffle — statistically, roughly 79% of games are theoretically solvable, though not all of those are obvious to a human player. When you find yourself stuck, the Undo button lets you take back your last move, and New Game gives you a fresh shuffle to try again. With move counting, a running timer, and an undo stack of up to 20 moves, this implementation gives you everything you need for a complete, enjoyable game right in your browser.
Understanding Klondike Solitaire
What Is Klondike Solitaire?
Klondike Solitaire is a single-player card game also called Patience in the United Kingdom. It is played with a standard 52-card deck divided across seven tableau columns, four foundation piles, and a stock with a waste pile. The objective is to move all 52 cards onto the four foundations, sorted by suit from Ace to King. The name 'Klondike' likely refers to the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, though the exact origin is debated. It became the world's most recognized solitaire variant after being bundled with Microsoft Windows starting in 1990.
¿Cómo funciona el juego?
Cards are dealt into seven tableau columns at the start. Each column receives a specific number of cards (column 1 gets one card, column 7 gets seven), with only the topmost card face up. Remaining cards form the stock. On each turn you may: draw one card from stock to waste, move the top waste card to a foundation or tableau, move face-up tableau cards onto another column following alternating-color descending rank rules, or move a King to an empty column. When a face-down tableau card is exposed, it flips up. Foundations build upward by suit from Ace. The game is won when all four foundations hold 13 cards each.
Strategy and Tips
Experienced Klondike players follow several strategic principles. First, always uncover hidden cards when possible — revealing face-down cards gives you more options. Second, build foundations evenly; having one suit far ahead of others can limit tableau maneuverability. Third, treat empty columns as valuable — only use them to place a King that will help unblock hidden cards, not just to park any available King. Fourth, draw through the stock first before making irreversible moves, since knowing what cards are available helps you plan longer sequences. Fifth, use undo freely to experiment — it's a single-player game and exploring alternatives is part of the enjoyment.
Solvability and Variants
Not every Klondike deal is solvable. Research suggests approximately 79% of games are theoretically winnable, but determining solvability during play requires looking ahead many moves. The draw-one variant used here is the most popular and most accessible form. Draw-three (drawing three cards at a time, only the topmost playable) is harder and more traditional. Vegas scoring — where you pay $52 and earn $5 per foundation card — is another classic variant. This implementation uses draw-one with standard Windows scoring logic, giving the widest audience the most enjoyable experience.
How to Play Klondike Solitaire
Draw from the Stock Pile
Click the face-down stock pile in the top-left to draw one card at a time to the waste pile. The top card of the waste pile is always available for play. When the stock is empty, click the recycling area to turn the waste pile over and draw again.
Build the Tableau Columns
Click a face-up card to select it (it highlights with a blue outline), then click a destination column or card to move it. Cards must be placed in descending rank and alternating colors — red on black, black on red. You can move entire face-up sequences at once. Only a King can fill an empty column.
Move Cards to the Foundations
The four foundation piles in the top-right must each be built for one suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. Double-click any top card on the tableau or waste pile to auto-send it to the correct foundation. Or click to select it first, then click the foundation pile.
Win with Auto-Complete
Once all cards are face up and no cards remain in the stock, the game enters auto-complete mode and moves all remaining cards to the foundations automatically. You can also use Undo at any point to reverse your last move, or click New Game to start a fresh shuffle.
Preguntas Frecuentes
Is every Klondike Solitaire game winnable?
No. Statistical analysis shows that roughly 79% of Klondike deals are theoretically solvable, but many of those require perfect play that a human would not easily find. The remaining 21% cannot be won no matter how you play. If you reach a point where no legal moves exist and the stock is exhausted, the game is stuck. In that case, click New Game for a fresh shuffle. The draw-one variant used here gives better odds than draw-three because you have full access to every stock card over multiple passes.
What does the score represent?
The score is calculated based on three factors: how many cards you have moved to the foundations (each worth 10 points), how quickly you completed the game, and how efficiently you moved (fewer moves yield a bonus). Cards on foundations form the base score — a complete win scores 520 base points before time and efficiency bonuses. Completing the game quickly with fewer moves can add several hundred additional points. The scoring is inspired by the classic Windows Solitaire scoring system, scaled for modern play.
How does the Undo button work?
The Undo button reverses your last single action — whether that was moving a card to the tableau, moving a card to a foundation, or drawing from the stock. The game stores up to 20 previous states, so you can undo up to 20 consecutive moves. Using Undo does not reset your move counter to the previous value (it decrements by one per undo), and your timer continues running. Undo is disabled once you win. It is a legitimate tool for exploring alternate lines of play without starting over.
What is auto-complete and when does it trigger?
Auto-complete activates when all cards in the tableau are face up and the stock pile is empty. At this point, the outcome is mathematically determined — every card is visible and the only task is moving them to foundations in the correct order. The game detects this condition and begins automatically moving cards one at a time to the correct foundations with a short animation delay between each move. This saves you from clicking dozens of individual moves at the end of a nearly-won game. If auto-complete stalls unexpectedly, it means a tableau sequence still needs to be rearranged.
What is the difference between draw-one and draw-three?
In draw-one (used here), clicking the stock reveals one card at a time to the waste pile. You have full access to every card in the stock over successive passes. In draw-three, three cards are drawn at once and only the top card of the three is playable. Draw-three is significantly harder because many cards stay buried under others, and cycles through the stock are less productive. Most modern online Klondike implementations default to draw-one for better accessibility and higher win rates, which is why this game uses the draw-one variant.
Can I move sequences of cards between tableau columns?
Yes. In this implementation you can select any face-up card in a tableau column, which simultaneously selects all face-up cards above it in the same column. Clicking a valid destination column moves the entire selected sequence at once. For example, if you have a red 8, black 7, red 6 sequence, clicking the red 8 selects all three, and clicking a black 9 moves all three cards in one action. This is standard Klondike behavior and is essential for rearranging the tableau efficiently. Face-down cards cannot be selected or moved.