Free Online Advanced Solitaire Card Game

A Short History of Klondike Solitaire

Card-sorting patience games date back to 18th-century Europe, where they were often used for fortune-telling as much as entertainment. The specific layout known today as Klondike — seven tableau columns of increasing size, a stock and waste pile, and four ace-to-king foundations — became associated with prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s, who reportedly played it to pass long, isolated evenings. The name stuck, even though the game's true origins are older and harder to pin down precisely.

Klondike Solitaire's real explosion in popularity came a century later, when it shipped as the default card game on Microsoft Windows starting in 1990. For an entire generation, "Solitaire" and "Windows Solitaire" became interchangeable terms, and the game quietly became one of the most-played pieces of software in history. This page continues that tradition in a browser-based, framework-free format that loads quickly and works on any modern device.

How to Play Solitaire — Rules Explained

The goal is to move every card, sorted by suit from Ace to King, onto the four foundation piles in the top-right area of the table. You build toward that goal by rearranging the seven tableau columns below, using two simple rules: tableau cards must be stacked in descending rank, and consecutive cards must alternate color (red on black, black on red).

At the start of a hand, column one holds a single face-up card, column two holds two cards with only the top one face up, and so on through column seven, which holds seven cards. The remaining cards form the stock pile. Clicking the stock reveals one or three cards (depending on your chosen draw mode) into the waste pile, and the top waste card is always available to play. When a tableau column becomes empty, only a King — or a sequence beginning with a King — may be placed there.

Foundation Timing

It's tempting to rush every playable Ace and 2 straight to the foundation, but sending cards up too early can strand the alternating sequences you need later in the tableau. A useful habit is to hold back middle-rank cards on the tableau if they're actively supporting a longer descending run, and only foundation them once you're sure they're no longer useful below.

Empty Column Usage

An empty tableau column is one of the most valuable assets in the entire game, because only a King can start a new one. Plan several moves ahead toward clearing a column, and when you get one, think carefully about which King (and its attached run) deserves that space before committing.

Stock and Waste Strategy

In Draw 3 mode, cards you can't use immediately get buried under two others, so track roughly where useful cards sit in the draw cycle rather than cycling blindly. In Draw 1 mode, you see every card individually, which gives you more control but also removes the safety net of extra options per draw.

Sequencing and Efficient Moves

Prioritize moves that reveal new face-down cards over moves that simply shuffle already-visible cards around. Every hidden card you expose adds new information and new options, while cosmetic tableau shuffling costs you moves and, in scored or timed modes, points.