FOUR SOLITAIRES. ONE CALM.

How to play
solitaire.

The Rules

Four games, four rhythms.

Four classic solitaire games — each with its own pace and pattern. Learn the rules, find the one that fits your kind of quiet.

I · Klondike

Klondike.

Klondike is the solitaire most people already know — the version that ships with every operating system, the one that taught generations how a deck of cards can hold a quiet game inside it. Two-color sequences, a stock pile, four foundations to fill from Ace to King.

The Object of the Game

Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, with each foundation built up by suit from Ace through King. The game ends when every card has found its foundation — or when no legal moves remain.

Setup

Klondike is dealt into a fan-shaped tableau of seven columns. The first column receives one card, the second receives two, and so on through the seventh, which receives seven. Only the topmost card of each column is turned face-up. The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile, drawn from when no tableau move is available.

Klondike Initial Layout

STOCKWASTEFOUNDATIONS · 4 SUITS

How to Move Cards

  • Tableau columns are built down, alternating colors. A red 8 may be placed on a black 9, a black 7 on a red 8, and so on.
  • Foundations are built up by suit, starting with the Ace. Once a card moves to a foundation, it almost always stays.
  • Sequences of correctly-ordered cards can be moved as a single unit between columns.
  • Empty columns can only be filled by a King (or a sequence headed by a King).
  • The stock pile deals cards either one at a time or three at a time, depending on the chosen rules. Most modern apps default to one-card draw, which is more forgiving.

Strategy

  • Always look for moves that expose face-down cards. Information beats speed in Klondike.
  • Don't move Aces and 2s to the foundations the moment they appear if you can use them in the tableau first.
  • Empty columns are valuable — protect them. Move Kings into empty columns rather than burying useful cards.
  • If you're playing draw-three, think one full deck-cycle ahead before committing a tableau move.
  • If a column is full of face-down cards with only one face-up card on top, prioritize unburying it.
Open Detailed Strategy Guide

The opening: which column to dig first

Klondike rewards aggressive early excavation of the longest tableau columns. Column seven (which starts with seven cards) holds the most face-down cards, and exposing them gives you the most new information. If your first move is between two columns of similar utility, prefer the one that empties or shortens column seven over column one.

When to commit Aces and 2s

Aces and 2s should usually go to the foundations as soon as it doesn't break a sequence. The exception is when an Ace or 2 is currently bridging a useful tableau move — for example, if you have a red 3 you need to move onto a black 4, and the red 2 is currently on the black 3 protecting it, you might delay sending the 2 home for one or two turns.

The empty column dilemma

Empty tableau columns are the strongest resource in Klondike. Once you have one, you can use it as a "scratch space" for unloading buried sequences, then refill it with a King when convenient. The mistake most players make is filling an empty column too quickly — try to keep it open until you have a specific use for it.

Stock pile management

In draw-three Klondike, only every third stock card is initially playable. This means a card you want to play might be inaccessible until the next deck cycle. Track which cards you've seen and plan tableau moves to coincide with the stock pile rotation that exposes the card you need.

When to give up a winnable game

Many Klondike deals are unwinnable — estimates put the proportion at around 20-30% depending on rules. If you've cycled the stock pile twice with no productive moves, the deal is probably lost. Restart rather than burn time on it.

II · Spider

Spider.

Spider is played with two decks — 104 cards across ten columns. Where Klondike asks you to build four foundations, Spider asks you to build eight complete suit sequences from King to Ace, each of which is automatically removed when finished. The version most people search for is the two-suit variant; the version that humbles even experienced players is the four-suit.

The Object of the Game

Build eight complete King-to-Ace runs of the same suit. Each completed sequence is removed from the tableau automatically. When all eight have been removed — clearing all 104 cards — you've won.

Setup

Spider deals 54 cards into 10 columns: four columns receive six cards, six columns receive five cards. Only the top card of each column is face-up. The remaining 50 cards become the stock pile, dealt in five rounds of ten — one card to each column at a time.

Spider Initial Layout

STOCK · 508 COMPLETED SEQUENCES

How to Move Cards

  • Tableau columns are built down by rank, regardless of suit. Any 9 may be placed on any 10, any Queen on any King.
  • Same-suit runs can be moved as a group. A 7-6-5 of hearts can move together onto an 8 of any suit.
  • Mixed-suit runs cannot move as a group. They must be broken apart and moved one card at a time.
  • Empty columns can be filled with any card or any movable sequence.
  • The stock pile deals one card to each of the ten columns when triggered. Every column must contain at least one card before the next stock deal is allowed.

Difficulty Variants

Spider is most commonly played in three suit configurations:

  • One-suit Spider — all 104 cards are the same suit. Mostly used for learning the mechanics.
  • Two-suit Spider — two suits in play. The most popular intermediate version.
  • Four-suit Spider — full four-suit deck. The version expert players treat as the real game.

Strategy

  • Build same-suit runs wherever possible — they're the only sequences that can be moved as a group.
  • Keep some columns short. Long columns become difficult to unbury and limit your options.
  • Don't deal from the stock until you've exhausted every available tableau move. Once you deal, the new cards are committed.
  • Try to leave at least one column near-empty before each stock deal — it gives you more flexibility with the new cards.
  • In two-suit and four-suit, completing one full sequence early dramatically opens up the rest of the game.
Open Detailed Strategy Guide

One-suit vs. four-suit: a different game

One-suit Spider is essentially solved — careful players win 90%+ of deals. Four-suit Spider is dramatically harder, with even excellent human players winning around 20-30% of deals without undo. The rules are identical, but the dynamic is utterly different. In one-suit, every move chains naturally toward the goal; in four-suit, mistakes from move 5 can lock the deal by move 30.

The empty column rule and how to exploit it

Empty columns are powerful in Spider — they let you stage out-of-sequence card groups. The risk: if you fill an empty column with a card that's not the start of a useful sequence, you've lost that resource. Keep empty columns until you have a specific multi-card move that needs them.

Stock-deal preparation

Before triggering a stock deal, do everything possible to (1) reduce the number of columns you have, (2) build long same-suit runs that can survive a disruption, and (3) leave the longest columns in a state where the new top card is most likely to be playable. Players who don't think about stock-deal prep account for most of the difference between intermediate and expert play.

When a four-suit deal is lost

Many four-suit deals are unwinnable from the deal. If you reach a state with three or four stock deals remaining and you haven't completed a single suit, the math is usually against you. This isn't a failure of play — it's the cost of the game's randomness. Restart rather than struggle through.

The empty-column gambit

One advanced technique: deliberately accept a worse short-term position to preserve an empty column. If a move would clear a column but break a useful run, weigh the empty column's future value against the immediate cost. In four-suit, the empty column usually wins.

III · Pyramid

Pyramid.

Pyramid is the simplest of the four to learn — the only rule is that cards summing to thirteen are removed in pairs. The shortest playing time, the most direct mathematics, and a constant tension between which card to free next.

The Object of the Game

Remove all 28 cards from the pyramid by pairing exposed cards that sum to 13.

Card Values

  • Ace = 1, numbered cards = face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.
  • Kings are removed alone (they already equal 13).
  • All other cards must be paired. Examples: Q + A, J + 2, 10 + 3, 9 + 4, 8 + 5, 7 + 6.

Setup

Twenty-eight cards are dealt face-up into a seven-row pyramid. The top row has one card, the second row has two, and so on through the bottom row of seven. The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile.

Pyramid Initial Layout

STOCK · 24

How to Move Cards

  • A card is exposed (free to be paired) when no other cards rest on top of it. Initially, only the bottom row is exposed.
  • Pair any two exposed cards that sum to 13 to remove them. Removing a card frees the cards above it.
  • Stock cards can be turned over and paired with exposed pyramid cards, or with each other.
  • Once a stock card is turned and not used, it goes to a waste pile (some variants allow re-cycling, others don't).
  • Win by removing the entire pyramid. Lose if no playable pair remains and the stock is exhausted.

Strategy

  • Plan to free cards strategically — don't just remove the first valid pair you see.
  • Watch for cards that block multiple paths. A high-value card buried under a critical row should be cleared early.
  • Don't rush through the stock pile. Each card you commit reduces your future options.
  • Identify cards that have already been buried under matched pairs — if their pair partner is unreachable, the deal may be unwinnable.
Open Detailed Strategy Guide

Pyramid's deadlock condition

Unlike other solitaires, Pyramid frequently locks into unwinnable states partway through. If both Aces are buried under Kings (which can't pair with anything but a single Queen each), and only one Queen has been freed, the game is mathematically lost even if visually still playable. Track partners as you go.

The Kings problem

Kings are free points — they remove instantly. But they can also be a trap: a King at the top of a chain can leave you stuck with two cards beneath that don't pair with anything still on the board. Always check what a King's removal will expose before clearing it.

Stock pile rationing

Most Pyramid implementations allow at most three passes through the stock pile (sometimes only one). Don't burn through the stock looking for a single pair when there are still pyramid moves available. Each stock turn is a finite resource.

The "waste-pyramid" pair

The most overlooked move in Pyramid is pairing a stock-waste card with a pyramid card on the same turn. New players default to pairing exposed pyramid cards with each other, ignoring the waste. Always check if the top of the waste pile sums to 13 with any exposed pyramid card.

Calculating winnability

Roughly 75-90% of Pyramid deals are winnable depending on the rules variant. If you've played 10 deals without a win, the issue is probably strategy, not luck.

IV · FreeCell

FreeCell.

FreeCell is the solitaire of pure planning. Every card is visible from the start. Almost every deal is winnable — the game becomes a puzzle of finding the right sequence of moves rather than waiting for the right card to surface. The four "free cells" give you temporary holding slots that turn impossible-looking positions into solvable ones.

The Object of the Game

Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building up by suit from Ace to King.

Setup

All 52 cards are dealt face-up into 8 columns: four columns of 7 cards, four columns of 6 cards. Above the tableau sit four free cells (each holds one card temporarily) and four foundations (one per suit). Nothing is hidden — the entire game state is visible from move one.

FreeCell Initial Layout

4 FREE CELLSFOUNDATIONS · 4 SUITS

How to Move Cards

  • Tableau columns build down, alternating colors — same as Klondike.
  • You can move only one card at a time. Multi-card sequences require enough free cells and empty columns to "shuffle" cards through one at a time.
  • Free cells hold exactly one card each, regardless of suit or rank. Use them as temporary storage to expose buried cards.
  • Foundations build up by suit from Ace to King. Cards rarely return from the foundation, so be deliberate.
  • Empty columns can hold any card. Combined with free cells, they multiply the effective number of cards you can move at once.

The "Effective Move" Rule

Most FreeCell apps let you "drag" a sequence of cards as if it moves together — but technically each card is being moved one at a time through free cells and empty columns. The maximum number of cards you can move in a single visual operation equals: (free cells + 1) × 2^(empty columns). With 3 free cells and 1 empty column open, you can move 8 cards as a unit.

Strategy

  • Almost every FreeCell deal is solvable — plan ahead before making committed moves.
  • Save free cells for genuine bottlenecks. Cards parked in free cells are hard to retrieve.
  • Send Aces and 2s to the foundations early. Unlike Klondike, the tableau rarely needs them.
  • An empty column is the most valuable single resource in FreeCell. Clearing one early often unlocks the entire deal.
  • Before committing a multi-card move, count the free cells and empty columns to confirm you have enough capacity.
Open Detailed Strategy Guide

FreeCell winnability

Of the 32,000 numbered Microsoft FreeCell deals released in the 1990s, only deal #11982 was proven unwinnable. Modern implementations introduce some unwinnable deals, but the rate is far below 1%. Treat every deal as solvable — if you can't see a path, the issue is probably your plan, not the deal.

The clear-the-Aces priority

Aces are useless in the FreeCell tableau (nothing builds on them) and trivially useful on the foundations (always available). Get them home immediately. The same is usually true of 2s, though there are rare cases where a 2 is needed to bridge a tableau move.

The empty-column multiplier

Capacity in FreeCell scales by powers of two with empty columns. (3 free cells + 0 empty) = 4 cards movable. (3 free cells + 1 empty) = 8. (3 free cells + 2 empty) = 16. Aggressively pursue an empty column early — it unlocks dramatically larger move chains.

The "supermove" trap

App interfaces let you drag groups of cards. The trap is committing to a supermove that uses every available free cell and empty column, leaving you with no maneuvering room afterward. Always check what your free-cell count looks like AFTER a multi-card move, not just whether the move is legal.

Tracking buried target cards

For each foundation, you'll eventually need every card from Ace to King in that suit. Look at the columns and identify where each card is buried. Plan your tableau cleanup around the order in which you'll need to access them. Burying the 4 of Hearts under the 9 of Hearts is fine if you'll have a 5-of-Hearts on the foundation by the time you need to reach it.

When to restart

Unlike other solitaires, the right move in FreeCell is almost always to restart rather than power through a stuck position. The puzzle is tractable; if you're stuck, you misplanned. Take the loss, restart fresh, and play more carefully on the first half of the deal.

Solace

All four games. One quieter place to play.

Solace is a free, browser-based solitaire app with all four classic games — Klondike, Spider, Pyramid, and FreeCell. Soft light. Gentle music. Plays in your browser, on any device.

No ads. No noise. No pressure.

Solace
A better way to pause
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