Klondike Solitaire FAQ

Klondike Solitaire is the single-player card game most people simply call "solitaire." It is played with one standard 52-card deck. You deal seven tableau columns, turn cards from a stock pile, build descending alternating-colour runs in the tableau, and move cards up to four foundation piles built by suit from Ace to King. Moving all 52 cards to the foundations wins the game.

Yes. klondikesolitaire.app is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. There is nothing to buy, download, or install, and there are no interruptive video ads, premium tiers, or paywalls. Open the page and a game is already dealt.

No. The game is the website — a 100% browser-based build with no app store download and no sign-up. Your stats are saved locally in your browser, so there is no login to manage.

Single-player "patience" card games are documented in Europe from the late 18th century. The Klondike layout took its name from the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s in Canada’s Yukon, where prospectors are said to have played it. It reached a mass audience in 1990 when Microsoft bundled a version with Windows 3.0.

It is the same game — Klondike — with the same tableau, foundations, stock, and standard scoring. This build adds Turn 1 and Turn 3 selection, unlimited undo, hints, auto-complete, synthesized sound, and a layout that works on phones.

Deal 28 cards into seven columns (1 to 7 cards, top card face up) and keep the other 24 as the stock. In the tableau, stack a card on one that is one rank higher and the opposite colour. Move Aces to the foundations and build each foundation up in suit. Turn the stock to the waste when you are out of tableau moves — one card at a time in Turn 1, three at a time in Turn 3. Recycle the waste to pass through the stock again. Win by clearing every card to the foundations.

In Turn 1 (draw one), each click of the stock turns a single card to the waste, so you can reach every card in the deck in order. In Turn 3 (draw three), the stock turns three cards at once and only the top one is playable, so reaching a buried card takes planning and extra passes. Turn 1 is more forgiving; Turn 3 is the traditional, harder game. This version allows unlimited passes through the stock in both modes.

Scoring uses the familiar desktop scheme: +10 for moving a card to a foundation, +5 for playing a waste card to the tableau, +5 for turning over a face-down tableau card, and −15 for moving a card back off a foundation. Your score never falls below zero. Time and move count are tracked separately so you can chase a fast win or a low-move win.

Yes. A card that has gone up to a foundation can be brought back down onto a valid tableau spot. It costs 15 points, but it is often the right call when that card is the only way to keep a tableau run going.

Drag a card or an ordered run to its destination, or tap once to pick it up and tap the target pile to drop it. Double-click (or double-tap) sends a card straight to its foundation. On the keyboard, Space turns the stock, U undoes, H shows a hint, A runs auto-complete, N deals a new game, and M toggles sound.

Once every card is face up and the stock and waste are clear, the rest of the game is mechanical. Auto-complete sends the remaining cards to the foundations in order so you do not have to click through 40 forced moves. You can also trigger it earlier to sweep up any cards that can safely go up right now.

As many times as you like. Traditional Klondike sometimes limits you to one or three passes; this version keeps passes unlimited in both Turn 1 and Turn 3 so a game ends only when you genuinely run out of moves.

No. Some deals cannot be won no matter how you play, and you cannot always tell in advance. Studies of Turn 1 Klondike put the share of winnable deals high — well above 80% — while skilled human win rates are lower because optimal play is hard. Turn 3 is much tougher, with only around 1 in 9 deals typically won. If you get stuck, deal a new game.

Play Aces and 2s up immediately, but hold other cards back — a card sent to a foundation too early is often the one you needed to continue a tableau run. Always prefer a move that reveals a face-down card, work your longest hidden columns first, and only empty a column when you have a King ready to move into it. Undo is unlimited, so use it to test a line before committing.

Scan the tableau before touching the stock. Play any Aces up, make any tableau move that flips a face-down card, and look for a spot to bring a waste card into play. Only turn the stock once the visible board offers nothing.

The current streak counts consecutive wins in one draw mode. Dealing a new game before winning the current one, or losing a game because no moves remain, resets that mode’s current streak to zero. Your longest streak is kept as a separate best.

Your best score, best time, best move count, games played, and win streak are saved locally in your browser for both Turn 1 and Turn 3. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. Because the save lives on the device, a different phone, a new browser profile, or cleared site data looks like a fresh start. A game in progress is not saved if you close the tab.

Yes. The layout is built for touch: tap a card to pick it up and tap a pile to drop it, or drag directly. The seven tableau columns and four foundations fit on one portrait screen, and dealing a new game is instant with no page reload.

The game needs a connection to load the page the first time. After that, some browsers may keep the tab playable without a network, but there is no dedicated offline app or installer.

Open Stats from the game menu and use Reset progress, then confirm with the second tap. That clears best score, best time, best moves, games played, and streaks for both Turn 1 and Turn 3 on this browser. It cannot be undone.

Any current browser with JavaScript: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop, plus their mobile versions. If cards do not respond, update the browser, allow scripts for this site, and reload.