The goal of Solitaire
The goal in Klondike Solitaire is to move all 52 cards to four foundation piles, one pile for each suit. Every foundation begins with an ace and builds upward in suit: ace, 2, 3, and so on through the king.
You win when every card is on a foundation. The challenge is that most cards begin face down in the tableau, so each move should help reveal hidden cards or make useful cards available.
How the game is set up
Seven tableau columns sit across the table. The first column has one card, the second has two, and the pattern continues until the seventh column has seven cards. Only the top card of each column is face up. The remaining 24 cards form the stock, and cards drawn from it go to the waste pile.
Above the tableau are four empty foundation spaces. They are not extra holding cells: once an ace appears, its foundation is built upward using cards of that same suit.
Legal moves
- Build tableau columns downward in alternating colors. A black 8 can go on a red 9, for example.
- Move a correctly ordered face-up run together from one tableau column to another.
- Move only a king, or a run beginning with a king, into an empty tableau column.
- Turn over the newly exposed top card whenever you clear the face-up cards from a column.
- Build foundations upward by suit, beginning with an ace.
- Draw from the stock when no useful tableau move is available. When the stock is empty, recycle the waste if the game allows it.
A good order for your moves
Start by looking for moves that uncover a face-down tableau card. Revealing hidden information is usually more valuable than making a tidy-looking foundation pile. Next, expose and move aces and low cards when doing so creates another useful move.
Before drawing from the stock, scan every tableau column. Check whether you can move a single card, move a longer run, or use a foundation card to continue a tableau sequence. The best move is often the one that creates two choices instead of one.
Beginner strategy that makes a difference
- Prioritize the columns with the most face-down cards. They contain the most locked information.
- Do not empty a tableau space unless you have a king ready to use it.
- Avoid sending every low card to the foundations immediately. You may need one to support an alternating-color tableau move.
- When two similar moves are available, prefer the one that reveals a card or opens a column.
- Remember the stock order. Even a rough memory of cards you passed can help you plan the next cycle.
Common mistakes
A common mistake is treating every legal move as a good move. Moving a card to a foundation can block access to a card you still need in the tableau. Another is opening an empty column without a useful king, which removes a destination without improving the board.
If you get stuck, work backward from the card you need. Ask what blocks it, what card would move that blocker, and whether the stock or another tableau column can supply the missing step.