Klondike Solitaire: Rules and Winning Tips
Klondike is the Solitaire almost everyone pictures when they hear the word: seven tableau columns, a face-down stock, and four empty foundations waiting to be filled. It looks simple, but a surprising number of deals are lost through hasty moves. This guide covers the rules first, then the concrete habits that turn coin-flip games into consistent wins.
The Objective
Your goal is to move all 52 cards onto the four foundations, one per suit, building each up in order from Ace to King. When every foundation is complete, you win.
The board has three areas:
- Tableau — seven columns dealt left to right, the first with one card and the last with seven. Only the top card of each column starts face up.
- Stock and waste — the undealt cards. Flip from the stock to reveal new cards onto the waste pile.
- Foundations — the four empty slots you build up by suit.
How Cards Move
- In the tableau, build down in rank and alternating in color — a red 6 goes on a black 7, a black 9 on a red 10.
- You can move a whole ordered sequence of cards as one unit.
- Only a King (or a run headed by a King) can be placed into an empty column.
- Send cards to a foundation in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace.
- Uncovering a face-down tableau card flips it face up, giving you a new card to work with.
Strategy Tips
The difference between a beginner and a strong player is patience and planning. Keep these in mind:
- Always play Aces and 2s to the foundations immediately — they can never help you in the tableau.
- Do not rush every card to the foundation. A 6 you send up too early might have been the perfect landing spot for a 5 you still need. Keep low cards in play when they are useful.
- Prioritize turning over face-down cards. Every hidden card is unknown information; exposing it opens new options. Favor moves that flip a card over moves that do not.
- Empty a column when you can. Empty columns are the most valuable real estate on the board because they accept any King, letting you relocate long sequences and dig deeper.
- Think before you commit a King. Once a King fills an empty column it rarely moves again, so place the King that unlocks the most trapped cards beneath it.
- Work the color you are short on. If you keep getting stuck, you often need a specific color of a rank — plan your tableau moves to expose it rather than burning stock flips.
- Flip the stock deliberately. Cycle through it to know what is coming, but avoid parking useful cards on the foundation just because you can.
A Simple Winning Routine
Each turn, scan in this order: play forced foundation moves (Aces, 2s), look for a tableau move that flips a face-down card, look for a move that empties a column, and only then draw from the stock. Undo freely while you learn the patterns.
If you enjoy this kind of quiet, methodical card play, try the tile-matching cousin Mahjong Solitaire, or test your memory with Memory Match.
Ready to shuffle up a deal? Play Klondike Solitaire free and put these tips to work — then browse more guides for other games.