Here's how to play the popular single player card game Klondike solitaire.
It's time to start filling in your foundation once you've finished setting up your game board.
Game goal
You must have moved every card in the tableau and your stockpile into the foundation in the correct order to win the game.
Each of the foundation's four piles begins with an Ace and advances by one until the King completes the stack of 13 cards in each of the four suits.
One of the heaps, for example, would begin with an Ace of Hearts. The 2 of Hearts will be the next card on top of the Ace, followed by the 3 of Hearts, and so on. Following the 10 of Hearts, the Jack of Hearts is dealt, followed by the Queen of Hearts, and lastly the King of Hearts to complete the sequence.
Using the Tableau
The stockpile, in combination with the tableau, is the key to laying the foundation. You aim to have as many cards as possible so that you can successfully create each of the four suit foundations, beginning with an Ace in each.
From Tableau to the Groundwork
When you review your game, the first thing you'll do is move any Aces that have been exposed up to the foundation region.
The foundation will eventually be divided into four piles, one for each of the four suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades (in any order).
Because the foundation is formed from the lowest to the highest card, the Ace is dealt first. When you have an Ace of Clubs in position, for example, the 2 comes next and must be in the same suit. On top of the Ace of Clubs in the foundation, a 2 of Clubs will be placed. Then the 3 of Clubs would have their turn.
Moving the cards up to the foundation is your first priority throughout the game. A full four-pile foundation of all 52 cards accurately played is a win.
As a result, start with the Aces and then hunt for any playable tableau cards that can be shifted to the foundation.
Within the Tableau, you can move cards around.
You can move cards around in the tableau to gain access to new ones that may be next in line for the foundation.
Within the tableau, card sequences, or cascades, occur in reverse order (lower cards play on higher cards) and alternate between black and red (regardless of suit). In the tableau, you don't put the same suit on the same suit like you do in the foundation.
If a play is available, the face-up card at the top of each pile can be transferred to other heaps. It's red-black or black-red, with the lower card on the higher one being one pip (or one rank) lower.
The Jack of Hearts, for example, could be swapped to the Queen of Spades in the next game. The Ten of Spades column might then be transferred to the Jack of Hearts column.
Only the top revealed card in each of the seven columns can be played (or moved). You can't pick up a card that's part of the sequence. A maximum of seven tableau cards are available to you at any given moment.
TIP OF THE DAY
When playing with actual cards, ensure that the cards are graduated when placed atop other face-up cards. You can view everything in the cascade by overlapping them and leaving about a half inch at the top. You want to be able to see as many cards as possible so that you can plan your movements accordingly.
You have a face-down card or a space remaining when you move a card in the tableau, whether it's up to the foundation or within the tableau itself.
You turn it over if you move a face-up card somewhere else and are left with a new card that hasn't been revealed yet. You now have a brand-new card in play that can help you fill up the gaps in your foundation or open up new possibilities.
If a blank spot appears instead of a face-down card as a consequence of your tableau move, you can fill it with any of the four Kings if one is available. This will allow you to move additional cards around. After all, you want to be able to access each card individually so that you can transfer the complete collection to the foundation. As a result, starting with a King may allow you to disclose a new face-down card and expose more cards, as you can then move on to a Queen, then a Jack, and so on.
When you're out of options, it's time to stockpile.
It's time to start using the stockpile once you've moved as many cards as you can and are at a brief halt.
Depending on the game rules you're referring to, stockpile usage may differ. Some
klondike solitaire games require you to flip over one card at a time from the stockpile, and then the game is ended once you've gone through all of the cards.
Another, more popular variant instructs players to flip over new cards in threes from the stockpile. That is, you will take the deck in your hands and count out three cards from the top, turning them over to display only the third card. If you have a free space in the tableau or foundation, you can then play that card.
If you play the exposed card, you gain access to the card beneath it that was hidden.
If you don't play the disclosed card, you'll have to turn over another mini-pack of three cards (revealing the sixth card) and choose between playing that card or flipping another three.
You can restart when you've gone through the stockpile in three sets. You should have access to brand-new cards the following time around if you played at least one card when turning them over the first time.
As you turn over your cards from the stockpile, they're placed face-up in the waste pile, but only the topmost card is revealed. You gain access to the next card in the stockpile whenever you play the top card in the stockpile.
As chances arise, you can flip back and forth between the stockpile and the rubbish pile. You can also combine your stockpile play with moves in the tableau.
