How to Play Klondike Solitaire

Klondike Solitaire is the most popular game of Solitaire and is often simply referred to as 'Solitaire.' Winning the game involves strategy, skill and a little luck. It's a popular game due to its simple rules and easy access. Wes Cherry was an unpaid intern with Microsoft when he developed the computerized version of Klondike Solitaire for Windows 3.0.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deck of playing cards without the Jokers
• Computer with Klondike Solitaire installed to play games without shuffling and setting up cards physically

Get the Game Set up

1. Shuffle the cards thoroughly, at least 3 times.

2. Lay cards out into 7 piles. The first card on the left is face up with 6 additional cards creating columns with a face down card.

3. Lay down a face up card on the second column from the left and then add 1 face down card to the remaining columns.

4. Check the columns. You should have 1 card in the first column (face up), 2 cards in the second column (top card face up and others face down), 3 cards in the second column and so forth for all 7 columns.

5. Leave room to create 4 foundations (pile of cards beginning with Ace of a suit with ascending cards to the King in the same suit).

6. Decide if you will flip each card individually in the leftover cards (waste stack) or if you will look at every third card for the duration of the game.

7. Save time and effort setting up the game by playing one of the many computer versions of the game. All Windows-based computer systems have this game on them initially.

Play Klondike Solitaire

8. Look at the columns to see if you have an Ace showing to start a foundation.

9. Flip over the card you might use from the waste stack.

10. Move cards from one column to another by arranging cards in descending order with alternating colors. For example, move a black 6 onto a red 7.

11. Flip over face down cards when you move the last face up card from a column, exposing the face down card on top.

12. Sort through the waste stack when you can no longer play on the columns.

13. Move cards to the foundations as soon as possible.

14. Beat the game when all of the cards are moved into the 4 foundations.

Tips & Warnings

• Move cards from columns with the most face down cards in the pile first.

[rkwaters]

on 6/10/2008 The traditional Klondike game does not allow any redeals of the cards and is very difficult to win. Because the game is so difficult most computerized versions of the game allow unlimited redeals. At winnablesolitaire.com there is a version of Klondike allowing for unlimited redeals and where every game is winnable. At solitaireinnovations.com there is a traditional Klondike game where every game is winnable.