What is Klondike Solitaire?

It will be difficult to find a person who has never played Klondike Solitaire on his personal computer before. Microsoft had glorified this game and a lot of people still think that they invented it. But in fact, Klondike is an ancient patience with rich history.

How to play?

Klondike is a card game for one person. The classic version uses a complete deck of cards (52 of them). Initially, 28 cards are dealt over 7 columns, called also «klondikes». The left-hand column has one card, the next one has two, the third – three and so on. All cards in the columns are closed, and only the last cards in each «klondike» are upturned. The remainder of the deck is placed nearby.

The objective of the game is to stack all cards into four foundation piles (called also "houses") based on suit.

All upturned cards are available and can be moved from tableau to foundation and back or between tableau piles. Released cards after removal of the cards that blocked them, turns face up and becomes available. Cards moving is possible according to the rules:

• tableau piles can be supplemented only by a card of one lower value and of the opposite color;
• foundations are builds up according to the suit;
• you can move single card or combinations;
• if any column is cleared, the empty space can be filled only by a King or columns starting with a King.

ATTENTION! Cards from the stock can be used several times depending on the variation of the game. The reserve deck can be turned over into the waste pile by one or by three cards.

The player has won if all foundation piles are built up from Aces to Kings and tableaux are clean.

If this aim is not reached but moving is not possible anymore – the game is lost.

Is Klondike the same as solitaire?

People usually mean Klondike Solitaire under "solitaire". But it's not the same. «Solitaire» is a much broader concept than «Klondike». Solitaire is any single-player board game, not only with cards. For example, famous Chinese game mahjong uses tiles are also a solitaire. Uttering «solitaire» or «patience» often means Klondike, although there are many other types of single-player games.

The birthplace of Klondike was most likely France or Germany. Various card puzzles were very popular in the 16th century among the wealthy and royals in Europe. According to another version, Klondike came into being as a method of divination. Fortune-tellers used the result of the game to answer questions about the future.

Whatever it was, from the beginning of the era of computerization Klondike Solitaire experienced its second birth. Back in the 80s of the last century, the first computer scientists programmed Klondike under name «Solitaire». Since those times, the confusion behind the names goes on. Then, this game was embedded by default into early versions of the Windows operating system. It's safe to say that millions of new users of personal computers learned how to use it on that game.

Solitaire is the most used application of Microsoft Windows among office clerks. To displeasure of bosses it's not Word or Excel. But there is good news. The game helps to get distracted and take a break. After a little bit of fun workers becomes more productive.

How to beat Klondike solitaire?

The probability of winning at Klondike solitaire is unknown. Theoretically, a computer can win 82 percent of the games. The main factor influencing on a course of a game is a successful layout of cards. Nevertheless, there are some tips from experts how to increase the chances of victory:

1. The tableau is a priority. A first step you should move all face-up cards which are possible in columns for opening blocked cards. Only when all the moves are exhausted, you can proceed to the remaining deck.
2. Keep balance in houses. Building up sequences on foundations must be evenly. Prevent the situation when one suit is almost completely collected and another one is still on start. For that reason you can get pretty stuck.
3. Investigate the stock pile. Go through the deck and find all Aces and other cards that could be moved to foundations immediately. Try to memorize the values of other cards and combine them with tableau cards in your head.
4. Get rid of high cards. Clear the smallest columns which are consist of one, two, or three cards as soon as possible. Put down Kings in empty spaces and build down sequences on it. The earlier you do it the faster you are to win the game.

Fans of Klondike love it for simple rules and structure. But it's not always easy to win. This requires some concentration and skill using, plus a little luck, of course. They say about this game: it take minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master. So try to master our Klondike card games.