--- title: "How to play solitaire: Klondike rules step by step" description: "How to play Klondike solitaire: the layout, building down in alternating colours, foundations from Ace to King, draw one or draw three. Play solitaire free." url: https://games.klyo.pl/rules/solitaire/ canonical: https://games.klyo.pl/rules/solitaire/ type: zasady language: en author: klyo organization: Klyo Illia Krasnopolskyi (NIP 7822656871), Łódź, Poland contact: kontakt@klyo.pl updated: 2026-10-18 llms: https://games.klyo.pl/llms.txt --- # How to play solitaire The solitaire most people mean is Klondike: a one deck game known from Windows computers. The goal is to move all 52 cards onto four foundations, each in one suit, from Ace to King. Below are the rules in order and a few ways to win more often. [Play solitaire](https://games.klyo.pl/klondike-solitaire/) [All game rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/) - [![Pasjans Klondike: gra w przeglądarce od twórcy Klyo](https://games.klyo.pl/foto/zrzut-gra-pasjans-klondike-800.ad2a400a.webp) 5–10 minutes **Klondike Solitaire** Solitaire 5–10 minutes portrait & landscape Free Klondike solitaire: draw 1 or draw 3, plus a daily deal.](https://games.klyo.pl/klondike-solitaire/) ## In short 1. Seven columns, each with only the top card face up. 2. Build down in the columns, alternating colours. 3. Four foundations by suit, from Ace to King. 4. Only a King goes into an empty column. 5. Draw one or draw three cards. ## How do you lay out the cards for solitaire? Deal the 52 cards into seven columns. The first column gets one card, the second two, and so on up to seven in the last one. Only the top card of each column lies face up. The remaining cards form the stock, and above the columns there is room for four foundations. *A Klondike layout: the stock, four foundation spots and seven columns, each with only the top card face up.* ## How do you move cards in solitaire? In the columns you build down in alternating colours: a red nine goes on a black ten, a black eight on a red nine. You can move a single card or a whole ordered run. When the last face up card leaves a column, you turn over the next one. Only a King, or a run starting with a King, may go into an empty column. ## How do you build the foundations from Ace to King? Each of the four foundations belongs to one suit: hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades. You start it with the Ace and then add the two, the three and the next cards of the same suit up to the King. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. ## Draw one or draw three? With draw one you turn one card at a time from the stock and can reach every card. It is a good variant to start with. With draw three you turn three cards but can only play the top one, so the order of moves matters more and more deals end without a solution. ## How do you win solitaire more often? - First make moves that turn over face down cards, especially in the longest columns. - Do not empty a column unless you have a King to put there. - Do not rush low cards to the foundations; you may need them to move a run. - Check every move on the table before you draw from the stock. ## What other solitaire games are there? Spider is played with two decks on ten columns, and the goal is to clear eight full runs from King to Ace in one suit. FreeCell shows every card from the start, and four free cells help you along. On klyo you can play all three for free, with a daily deal, hints and undo. [Spider Solitaire](https://games.klyo.pl/spider-solitaire/) · [FreeCell Solitaire](https://games.klyo.pl/freecell-solitaire/) More: [Spider Solitaire rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/spider-solitaire/) · [FreeCell rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/freecell/) ## How to play solitaire at master level - Choose the King for an empty column to fit the cards waiting: to move a red queen, place a black King. - Keep the foundations balanced: do not let one colour get more than two ranks ahead of the other, because low cards are still useful in the columns. - With draw three, remember that every card you play from the stock shifts the following threes, so sometimes it pays to play a card just to change the next draw. - Uncover the long columns first: they hide the most face down cards. - Use undo to compare two paths before you commit to one. ## The most common mistakes in solitaire - Emptying a column with no King to put there. - Sending every possible card to the foundations at once. - Drawing from the stock before checking every move on the table. ## Play Klondike Solitaire for free You know the rules, now play. Klondike Solitaire runs free in your browser, on a phone and a computer, with nothing to install and no account. [Play solitaire](https://games.klyo.pl/klondike-solitaire/) [![Pasjans Klondike: gra w przeglądarce od twórcy Klyo](https://games.klyo.pl/foto/zrzut-gra-pasjans-klondike-800.ad2a400a.webp)](https://games.klyo.pl/klondike-solitaire/) ## Read next - **[Spider Solitaire rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/spider-solitaire/)**: Spider Solitaire is played with two decks, 104 cards, on ten columns. - **[FreeCell rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/freecell/)**: FreeCell is the solitaire in which you see every card from the first move. ## Similar free games - [![Pasjans Pająk: gra w przeglądarce od twórcy Klyo](https://games.klyo.pl/foto/zrzut-gra-pasjans-pajak-800.057ae24f.webp) 5–15 minutes **Spider Solitaire** Solitaire 5–15 minutes portrait & landscape Free Spider Solitaire online: 1, 2 or 4 suits and a daily deal.](https://games.klyo.pl/spider-solitaire/) - [![Pasjans FreeCell: gra w przeglądarce od twórcy Klyo](https://games.klyo.pl/foto/zrzut-gra-pasjans-freecell-800.96aa2413.webp) 5–10 minutes **FreeCell Solitaire** Solitaire 5–10 minutes portrait & landscape Free FreeCell card game with classic deal numbers and solver hints.](https://games.klyo.pl/freecell-solitaire/) - [![Warcaby: gra w przeglądarce od twórcy Rasalhague](https://games.klyo.pl/foto/zrzut-gra-warcaby-800.6e0f6f8e.webp) 5–15 minutes **Checkers** Puzzle 5–15 minutes Checkers against the computer, hotseat and online.](https://games.klyo.pl/checkers/) - [![Saper: gra w przeglądarce od twórcy Klyo](https://games.klyo.pl/foto/zrzut-gra-saper-800.c60de309.webp) new 1 to 5 minutes **Minesweeper** Puzzle 1 to 5 minutes portrait & landscape Classic Minesweeper in your browser: clear the board and flag the mines.](https://games.klyo.pl/minesweeper/) ## Rules of other games - [Chess rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/chess/) - [Sudoku rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/sudoku/) - [How to play Minesweeper](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/minesweeper/) - [Checkers rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/checkers/) - [How to win at Tic Tac Toe](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/tic-tac-toe/) - [Mahjong rules](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/mahjong/) - [Castling in chess](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/chess/castling/) - [En passant](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/chess/en-passant/) - [Stalemate in chess](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/chess/stalemate/) - [Chess openings for beginners](https://games.klyo.pl/rules/chess/openings/) --- Source: https://games.klyo.pl/rules/solitaire/ · Built and run by klyo, a Polish technology company (Łódź) · Contact: kontakt@klyo.pl · Index for language models: https://games.klyo.pl/llms.txt