Russian Solitaire is a close cousin of Yukon Solitaire, sharing its layout and deal — but with one critical twist that changes everything about strategy: instead of building columns in alternating colors, you must build them by same suit.
The deal: Seven tableau columns are laid out exactly as in Yukon. Column 1 gets one face-up card; each subsequent column gets one more face-down base card than the previous, plus four additional face-up cards on top. All 52 cards are dealt; there is no stock pile or draw pile.
Building on the tableau: You may place a card on top of any face-up card in the tableau provided it is the same suit and exactly one rank lower. For example, the 8♠ can only be placed on the 9♠ — not on the 9♥ or 9♦. This is the sole rule difference from Yukon.
Moving groups: Like Yukon, you can move any face-up card regardless of what is stacked below it. If the 8♠ has three more cards on top of it, you can still pick up the whole stack and move it — as long as the 8♠ lands legally on a 9♠. The cards beneath it do not need to be in sequence.
Empty columns: An empty column may be filled by any King (of any suit).
Foundations: Four foundation piles build from Ace up to King, one per suit. Completing all four foundations wins the game.
In standard Yukon, you stack cards in descending order with alternating colors (red on black, black on red), just like Klondike. In Russian Solitaire, that alternating-color rule is replaced with a same-suit rule. You can only place a card on another card of the same suit.
This seemingly small change makes the game considerably harder. In Yukon, a red 7 has two possible target cards (black 8s). In Russian Solitaire, any given card has exactly one possible target (the same-suit card one rank higher). The game becomes a precise puzzle rather than a looser combinatorial challenge.
If you enjoy Yukon but want a more demanding experience — one where every move feels deliberate — Russian Solitaire is the next step.
Solitaire Scramble offers Russian Solitaire with a clean, distraction-free interface — no ads mid-game, no account required to start playing. The same polished experience you get on our Yukon, Spider, and Seahaven Towers pages is here too.
Features include smooth drag-and-drop (desktop) and touch drag (mobile), undo, hints, auto-complete when all cards are face-up, and a variant switcher so you can flip between Yukon and Russian Solitaire at any time. The game saves your session state so you can pick up where you left off.
Yes, generally. Because each card has only one possible tableau target (the same suit, one rank higher), the game is less forgiving. In Yukon you have two color options per rank; in Russian Solitaire you have exactly one. Fewer options mean fewer escape routes when you're stuck.
Yes. This is the Yukon rule that both games share. Any face-up card — and all the cards beneath it — can be picked up and moved as a group, even if those cards are not in sequence. The only legal requirement is that the bottom card of the group lands on the correct target in the destination column.
Only a King (any suit) may start a new empty column. This applies in both Russian Solitaire and Yukon. A single King or a group of cards led by a King are both valid.
Not necessarily. Like most patience games, some deals are unwinnable regardless of how well you play. Russian Solitaire's same-suit constraint means the solution space is smaller than Yukon's, so a higher proportion of deals may be unsolvable. If you're stuck, use undo to backtrack or start a new deal.
Both games involve building suited sequences, but Spider Solitaire uses two decks (104 cards) and has a stock pile you draw from. Russian Solitaire uses one deck with all cards dealt upfront. The group-moving mechanic in Russian Solitaire (any face-up card moves freely) also sets it apart from Spider's stricter movement rules.
No. Russian Solitaire is fully playable without an account. Optional login unlocks stat tracking and leaderboard features, but the game itself is completely free and unrestricted.
Yes. The game supports touch drag-and-drop on phones and tablets. No app download needed — it runs directly in your mobile browser.