Klondike Solitaire
Classic single-player card game. THE 'Solitaire' most people know. Named for Klondike Gold Rush (1896-99). Popularized globally by MICROSOFT WINDOWS SOLITAIRE (1990) — likely the most-played card game in history. 7 tableau piles + foundations built A → K by suit. Draw-3 (harder) or Draw-1 (easier) variants. ~30-40% win rate with skill.
What is Klondike Solitaire?
Klondike Solitaire is THE ARCHETYPAL SOLITAIRE game — when someone says 'Solitaire' unqualified, they mean Klondike. Named for KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH (1896-1899, Yukon Canada) where miners reportedly played it. POPULARIZED GLOBALLY by MICROSOFT WINDOWS SOLITAIRE (bundled 1990 with Windows 3.0) — arguably MOST-PLAYED CARD GAME IN HISTORY (100s of millions of players). Original Windows Solitaire developed by WES CHERRY (Microsoft intern) to teach mouse dragging skills. Standard 52-card deck. SETUP: 7 TABLEAU PILES (1-7 cards descending, top face-up); FOUR FOUNDATIONS (build up A → 2 → ... → K by suit); STOCK PILE (remaining 24 cards). GAMEPLAY: move cards to build foundations A → K in suit; tableau piles built DOWN alternating COLOR (red on black on red). KINGS fill empty tableau spaces. Turn stock cards 1-at-time (DRAW-1, easier) or 3-at-time (DRAW-3, harder, standard Windows version). WIN = all cards to foundations. WIN RATE: ~80% with perfect play (draw-1); ~30-40% with skilled draw-3 (many hands unwinnable). VARIANTS: SPIDER, FREECELL, PYRAMID, YUKON, GOLF also popular. CULT CLASSIC — Microsoft Solitaire Collection still 100M+ Windows installs.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
1–1
Duration
~5 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
table + card layout
Country of origin
🇨🇦 Canada
Estimated origin
Originated Klondike Gold Rush 1896-99; documented in Foster's Complete Hoyle 1897; Microsoft Solitaire 1990 globalized
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
Move all 52 cards to 4 foundations (A → K in each suit).
Rules
Basic rules
Setup: 7 tableau piles (1 card, 2 cards, ..., 7 cards)
Top card face-up; rest face-down. Remaining 24 cards = stock pile.
Foundations built UP A → 2 → ... → K by suit
One foundation per suit (4 total).
Tableau piles built DOWN alternating color
Red 8 on Black 9 on Red 10, etc.
Kings can move to empty tableau spaces
Kings + sequences below start empty columns.
Draw from stock (1 at time = easier; 3 at time = harder)
Turn stock cards; use top of waste pile.
Win: all cards on foundations
~80% win rate draw-1; ~30-40% draw-3.
Scoring
Not competitive typically. Some scored versions (Vegas Solitaire) bet + score cards.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Standard scoring (Windows) | 10 pts per card moved to foundation; time penalty |
| Vegas scoring | $52 buy-in; $5 per card to foundation; profit if all 52 |
| Win | Solving the game = success |
Win condition · All 52 cards on foundations (A→K in each suit).
Playing area
Called
table + card layout
Dimensions
layout requires ~2ft × 1.5ft space
7 tableau piles + 4 foundation spaces + stock/waste pile.
Equipment
Standard 52-card deck
€2-10; any standard deck works
Or digital app (Microsoft, Solitaired, Solitr)
Free
Strategies
Move Aces + 2s to foundations ASAP
Frees tableau space + starts foundations.
Uncover face-down cards priority
Every hidden card revealed opens options.
Don't play from stock hastily
Consider tableau plays first; stock is limited.
Empty column reserve for Kings
Don't fill with lesser cards if King coming.
Draw-3: know which cards are inaccessible
Order of stock pile matters; some cards unreachable if not planned.
Terminology
- Tableau
- 7 columns of cards below foundations.
- Foundation
- 4 piles building A→K by suit.
- Stock
- Remaining draw pile after setup.
- Waste
- Discard pile from stock; top usable.
- Cascade
- Tableau column of cards.
- Draw-1 / Draw-3
- Cards flipped from stock per draw.
- Winnable
- Hand where solution exists (varies).
Major competitions
Microsoft Solitaire Collection Star Club
ongoing · worldwide · since 2016
Speed solitaire competitions (informal)
ongoing · worldwide · since 1990
Where it is played
Governing bodies
No official governing body
n/a
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Wes Cherry (USA) — Microsoft intern who created Windows Solitaire 1990
- Susan Kare (USA) — Windows Solitaire card face designer
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Play Microsoft Solitaire (free Windows) OR Solitaired.com
Universal card game — anyone plays casually.
intermediate
- 1
Learn to see 2-3 moves ahead
Improves win rate significantly.
- 2
Try Draw-3 for challenge
Standard Windows setting; harder win rate.
advanced
- 1
Speed solitaire (Windows tracks fastest wins)
Sub-1-minute solutions possible.
- 2
Try Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid variants
Related solitaire family.
Frequently asked
What is Klondike Solitaire?+
THE ARCHETYPAL SOLITAIRE game — when someone says 'Solitaire,' they mean Klondike. Named for Klondike Gold Rush (1896-99). GLOBALLY POPULARIZED by MICROSOFT WINDOWS SOLITAIRE (1990) — arguably MOST-PLAYED CARD GAME IN HISTORY. Standard 52-card deck; 7 tableau piles + 4 foundations. Move cards to build foundations A→K by suit. Tableau built DOWN alternating color. Draw-1 (easier ~80% win) or Draw-3 (harder ~30-40% win).
Why is Klondike Solitaire called 'Solitaire' in Windows?+
MICROSOFT WES CHERRY (intern) developed Windows Solitaire 1990 based on Klondike variant. Called simply 'SOLITAIRE' rather than 'Klondike Solitaire' because Klondike is the DEFAULT most people think of. Includes DRAW-1 + DRAW-3 options. Design goal: teach WINDOWS MOUSE DRAG interactions in early GUI era. Shipped with Windows 3.0 → 3.1 → 95 → 98 → XP → and every version since. Considered PRODUCTIVITY KILLER + reason many workers learned computers. Susan Kare designed classic card faces.
What percentage of Klondike hands are winnable?+
APPROXIMATELY 80% of DRAW-1 hands are winnable with PERFECT PLAY. APPROXIMATELY 30-40% of DRAW-3 hands winnable. Real player win rates: 40-50% DRAW-1; 5-15% DRAW-3 (without exhaustive analysis). SOME HANDS PROVABLY UNWINNABLE (mathematical fact). Some solvers analyze specific hands to prove winnable/not. Modern Microsoft Solitaire (Windows 10+) includes 'Winnable Deal' option to guarantee win possible.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Klondike (solitaire)— Wikipedia