How to Play Klondike Solitaire — A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Updated May 17, 2026 · 7-minute read

Klondike Solitaire is the most recognised card game in the world — the one most people simply call “Solitaire.” If you’ve played the Microsoft Windows version, you already know Klondike. This guide walks through every Klondike Solitaire rule, from the initial deal to the moment all 52 cards are stacked on the foundations, so you can start winning games from day one.

What Is Klondike Solitaire?

Klondike Solitaire is a single-player patience card game played with one standard 52-card deck. The goal is to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles — one per suit — built from Ace up to King. Unlike Spider Solitaire, which uses two decks and 104 cards, Klondike uses just one deck and is generally faster to complete when the deal cooperates.

Klondike’s signature move is building alternating-color descending sequences on the tableau and uncovering hidden face-down cards until every card is in play. That tension between uncovering cards and managing limited column space is what makes Klondike endlessly replayable.

Klondike Solitaire Setup

When a new Klondike Solitaire game begins, the 52-card deck is distributed across three areas:

• The tableau. Seven columns of cards. Column 1 has 1 card, column 2 has 2, and so on up to column 7 with 7 cards — 28 cards total. Only the bottom (top-most visible) card in each column starts face-up; all cards beneath it are face-down.
• The stock. The remaining 24 cards sit in a face-down draw pile in the top-left corner. Click or tap it to draw cards to the waste pile.
• The waste pile. Cards drawn from the stock land here face-up. The top card of the waste pile is always available to play.
• The foundations. Four empty slots in the top-right — one per suit. Build each from Ace up to King to win the game.

Klondike Solitaire Rules: Valid Moves

There are four types of moves in Klondike Solitaire:

• Tableau to tableau. Place a card on top of another if it is one rank lower AND a different color. A red 6 goes on a black 7; a black Queen goes on a red King. You can move a group of face-up cards together as long as they already form a valid alternating-color sequence.
• Waste to tableau. The top card of the waste pile can be moved onto any tableau column following the same alternating-color rule above.
• Any card to foundation. Move an Ace directly to an empty foundation slot. After that, only the next rank of the same suit may go on that foundation — a 2 of spades on an Ace of spades, then a 3 of spades, and so on up to King.
• King to empty column. Only a King (or a sequence led by a King) may be moved into a completely empty tableau column. No other rank can start an empty column.

When you uncover a face-down card — by moving all face-up cards above it — it flips face-up automatically and becomes available to play.

Drawing From the Stock

In Draw 1 mode (the default on this site), clicking the stock flips one card at a time to the waste pile. In Draw 3 mode, three cards are flipped at once, but only the top card of those three is playable.

When the stock runs out, click the empty stock pile to flip the entire waste pile back into a new stock — face-down — and start drawing again. In classic Klondike rules you can recycle the stock unlimited times, so no deal is truly unwinnable due to stock exhaustion alone.

How to Win Klondike Solitaire

You win when all 52 cards are on the four foundation piles, each complete from Ace to King in its own suit. On this site a win animation plays and you can start a fresh game immediately.

Klondike Solitaire Strategy for Beginners

A few simple rules raise your win rate dramatically:

• Always move an Ace or 2 to the foundation immediately. These cards never help the tableau, and stalling on them wastes turns.
• Prioritize uncovering face-down cards. Every face-down card is a resource you can’t access. Target the column with the most face-down cards first.
• Be careful with empty columns. An empty column is powerful — only a King can start it, so think before you clear a column if you don’t have a useful King ready.
• Don’t rush to the foundation. Moving a card to the foundation removes it from tableau play. If you move a red 6 to the foundation too early, you lose a slot that could unblock a black 5.
• Cycle the stock early. Draw through the stock early in the game to see what cards are available before committing to a sequence.

Klondike vs Spider Solitaire

Klondike uses one deck (52 cards) and alternating-color sequences; Spider Solitaire uses two decks (104 cards) and same-suit sequences. Klondike games are faster and depend more on luck of the deal; Spider games are longer with more scope for skill. Both are worth mastering — try Klondike here or switch to Spider Solitaire at any time.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Click stock — draw one card
• Click a card — select it; click a valid target to move it
• Double-click a foundation card — move top waste/tableau card to foundation if valid
• Undo — step back one move
• Hint — highlight the best available move

Ready to play? Start a Klondike Solitaire game now →