Solitaire is a relaxing game everyone should take up because it’s a game you can play even by yourself. You only need a deck of cards on hand, which is small enough to fit in a pocket. Thanks to smartphones, you can even play free online solitaire in a browser or through an app while you’re on the go. This will give you hours of entertainment, and you won’t even have to worry about shuffling cards.

Use solitaire to pass the time when you’re on a long train ride or waiting for the bus. It will make the time fly by, and you’ll gain some problem-solving skills along the way that you can apply to other situations. Solitaire teaches you to be patient when moving cards because in doing so, you’ll have a better chance of winning.  

How to Play Solitaire

There are many variations to the classic version of solitaire, but all of them are based on the same idea, which is to arrange the cards in order by suit. In the Freecell variation, you start with all cards facing up, and you have four free slots you can make use of. In this article, you’ll learn how to play Klondike solitaire, also known as classic solitaire.  

Game Setup

Distribute the cards into seven columns, with the first having one card, the second having two, and so on. The top card in every column faces up, and the rest are left covered. Once you complete setting up the columns, place the leftovers in something called the stockpile.  

Object of the Game

There are four additional piles of cards that you will build on as the game progresses, called the foundations. Each foundation represents its own suit. These are all empty to start off with. To win, stack the cards in ascending order and according to suit, starting with the ace and ending with the king. 

Rules

Uncover the cards in the stockpile, one at a time. You can move the card that is facing up from the stockpile to the columns or foundations. Cards can also go from the columns to the foundations. Bear in mind that a new column has to start with a king, and a new foundation has to start with an ace. 

You can also move cards between columns, as long as they are one less than the previous card and the opposite color. For example, a black queen will follow a red king. You can only put a king or a stack of cards starting with a king onto an empty column. Once you run out of cards from the stockpile, turn everything over and start again. This continues until the foundations are complete. 

More on Solitaire

To make the game more interesting and challenging, instead of drawing cards from the stockpile one by one, do it in threes. Alternatively, make the game easier by allowing new columns to start from cards other than a king.

There are many combinations of moves you can make to win at solitaire. Every move you make will determine which cards become available for your future actions. As long as you work on uncovering as many cards as you can, you’re on the right track. 

If luck isn’t on your side, you’ll find that the aces are deep within the columns, which means they stay covered for most of the game. Having aces available earlier in the game will enable you to stack more cards onto the foundations. The more you play this game and its countless variations, the better you will get. Once you master solitaire, you won’t want to stop!