The basics

Klondike solitaire rules

Here are the complete rules of Klondike, in the order you meet them. They are short, but a few details decide whether a move is legal.

Short answer

Klondike is played with one 52-card deck. Seven columns hold 28 cards, the last of each face up, and 24 form the stock. Cards build down in the columns in alternating colors, and up on the four foundations by suit from ace to king. Only kings can fill an empty column. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.

Layout

Stock: 24 cards, face down. Turn them over onto the waste.
Waste: the face-up cards you have drawn. Only the top card can be played.
Tableau: seven columns with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 cards. The last card of each is face up.
Foundations: four piles, one per suit, built from ace up to king.

Moving cards in the tableau

A card goes on a column if it is one rank lower than that column's last card and the opposite color.
You may move any face-up run that is in order, as a unit.
A face-down card turns over as soon as the cards above it are moved.
An empty column takes only a king, or a run that starts with a king.

Move the whole run from the 9 of spades down, onto the red 10

9♠♠

8♥♥

7♣♣

6♦♦

10♥♥

The run from the 9 of spades down can move together onto the red 10, because every card is in order and alternates color.

An empty column accepts only a king, with its run

K♠♠

Q♥♥

J♣♣

An empty column is filled with a king and its run, here the king of spades with the queen of hearts and the jack of clubs.

Foundations

A foundation starts with an ace.
Then add the next rank of the same suit: 2, 3, 4, up to king.
You may take the top card of a foundation back down onto a column, if it fits. This costs points in the scoring.

Foundations build up by suit, from the ace

A♠♠

2♠♠

3♠♠

A♥♥

2♥♥

A♣♣

Foundations built by suit: spades to the 3, hearts to the 2, clubs just the ace, and one still empty.

The stock and waste

Draw 1: turn over one card at a time.
Draw 3: turn over three cards, and only the top one is playable. See turn 3.
When the stock is empty, you may turn the waste over to make a new stock and go through it again. The order is the same each pass.

Waste, draw 3: only the top card (the 2 of diamonds) can be played

4♣♣

9♥♥

2♦♦

In draw 3 the waste shows three cards, but only the top card, the 2 of diamonds, can be played.

Scoring

This site and the app use standard (Windows) scoring. See how solitaire scoring works.

Winning and losing

You win when all four foundations reach the king. You lose when you have no legal move left and have gone through the stock without progress. Some deals can never be won, whatever you do.

Frequently asked questions

Can any card go in an empty column?

No. Only a king, or a run that starts with a king.

Can I move cards from the foundation back?

Yes, onto a column where they fit. It costs points.

How many times can I go through the stock?

In this game, as many times as you like. In some versions the number of passes is limited.

Can I move a face-down card?

No. Cards turn over by themselves when the cards on top of them are moved.