How to Play Solitaire

The goal: four foundations from Ace to King

You win when all 52 cards are on the four foundations — one pile for each suit, built up from Ace to King. The foundations start empty, so every Ace you uncover can go up as soon as it is free, followed by the 2 of the same suit, then the 3, and so on.

The layout: tableau, stock and waste

The deal puts 28 cards into seven tableau columns. The first column has one card, the second two, and so on up to seven cards in the last column; only the top card of each column is face up. The other 24 cards form the stock.

When you click the stock, cards turn over onto the waste pile next to it. Only the top waste card can be played — onto the tableau or onto a foundation.

How cards move on the tableau

On the tableau you build down in alternating colours: a red 7 goes on a black 8, a black 6 on a red 7. You can move a whole face-up sequence from one column to another, as long as its first card fits.

When you move the last face-up card off a column, the face-down card underneath turns over. Uncovering these hidden cards is the heart of the game.

An empty column is special: it accepts only a King, or a sequence that begins with a King. In ManyPlay's solitaire, click or tap a card and the game moves it to a place where it fits.

Turn 1 or Turn 3

Turn 1 (Draw 1) turns over one stock card at a time, so you see every card in order. It is the easier, more forgiving way to play.

Turn 3 (Draw 3) turns over three cards at once, and only the top one can be played. The cards beneath become available as you play the ones above them. The tableau and foundation rules do not change — only your access to the stock does, which is why Turn 3 is the traditional, harder game.

Beginner strategy

Prefer moves that uncover a face-down card: each one gives you new information and new options.

Read the top waste card before you draw again — playing it whenever it fits keeps more cards within reach, especially in Turn 3.

Keep an empty column for a King that can use it, instead of filling it with whatever fits.

Moving a card to a foundation is usually safe for Aces and 2s; with higher cards, check that you will not need them on the tableau to hold a lower card of the other colour.

Undo, Hint and Check deal

Undo returns to the previous position, including the score and the move counter; the timer keeps running. Use it to compare two options.

Hint suggests a move and uses one of three free hints per deal. Check deal answers a different question: can this deal still be won from here? A positive answer means a winning line exists — you still have to find it. An inconclusive answer means the search ran out of time; it does not prove the deal is lost.

Common questions

Is solitaire the same as Klondike? In everyday use, yes: classic solitaire is Klondike. Other solitaire games, such as Spider Solitaire, use different layouts and rules.

How many cards are in solitaire? One standard deck of 52 cards: 28 on the tableau and 24 in the stock at the start.

Can every game be won? No — some deals cannot be solved however well you play. That is what Check deal is for: it tells you whether a win is still possible from the current position.

What should I play next? If you like building runs, try Spider Solitaire with one suit, then two or four.