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How to Play Classic Solitaire (Klondike)
Objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, building each foundation from Ace to King in the same suit.
Setup
The game begins with 28 cards dealt into 7 tableau piles. The first pile has 1 card, the second has 2, and so on up to 7 cards in the seventh pile. Only the top card of each pile is face-up. The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile.
Basic Rules
- Tableau Building: Cards must be placed in descending order with alternating colors. For example, a red 6 can be placed on a black 7.
- Foundation Building: Start with Aces and build up by suit (A, 2, 3... K). Each foundation must contain cards of the same suit.
- Moving Stacks: You can move multiple face-up cards at once if they form a valid descending sequence.
- Empty Columns: Only Kings (or sequences starting with a King) can be placed in empty tableau columns.
- Stock Pile: Click the stock to draw a new card to the waste pile. The top waste card can be played to tableau or foundations.
Winning
You win when all four foundations are complete (A through K in each suit). If no more moves are possible and foundations are incomplete, the game is lost.
Classic Solitaire Strategy Guide
Priority 1: Expose Face-Down Cards
Your primary goal should be to reveal hidden cards. Every face-down card you flip gives you more options. Prioritize moves that expose new cards over moves that simply rearrange visible cards.
Priority 2: Move Aces and 2s Immediately
Aces should always go to foundations right away - they serve no purpose in the tableau. 2s are almost always safe to move to foundations as well, since nothing can be built on top of them in the tableau.
Priority 3: Be Strategic with Kings
Kings are special because they can fill empty columns. Don't move a King to an empty column unless it helps you expose a face-down card or meaningfully improves your position.
Balance Your Foundations
Try to keep your four foundations roughly even. Building one foundation much higher than others can lock cards you need for tableau manipulation.
Don't Rush to the Foundation
While the goal is to build foundations, moving cards there too quickly can be a mistake. A card in the foundation cannot be used for tableau building. Only move cards to foundations when doing so doesn't hurt your tableau flexibility.
Advanced Classic Solitaire Tips
- Color Alternation Awareness: Keep track of which colors dominate your tableau. If you have many red cards exposed, you'll need black cards to build sequences.
- Empty Columns are Valuable: An empty column acts like a free cell - you can temporarily place cards there to reorganize.
- Think Ahead: Before making a move, consider what it enables. Good players think 2-3 moves ahead.