How to Play Solitaire (Klondike): Rules, Setup & Winning Moves

By Kabir Sharma • Updated: September 2026 • 5 min read

Almost every computer in the world has Solitaire installed on it. If your home Wi-Fi has ever gone down during a boring afternoon, you've probably opened Solitaire, clicked on random cards for three minutes, got completely stuck, and closed the window in frustration!

I used to do the exact same thing until one day I actually sat down to learn the rules. Turns out, Klondike Solitaire is basically an addictive logic puzzle. Once you understand the setup and the 2 simple rules of moving cards, you'll find yourself finishing games and watching that awesome bouncing card victory animation every time! Let's get into it.

How to Set Up the Game (The 7 Columns)

Solitaire is played with one standard 52-card deck. If you are playing with physical cards on a table:

Deal out 7 columns of cards from left to right.
Column 1 has 1 card. Column 2 has 2 cards. Column 3 has 3 cards... all the way to Column 7 with 7 cards.
In each column, all cards are face-down EXCEPT the very top card, which is flipped face-up.
The rest of the un-dealt cards are placed face-down in the top-left corner as your Stockpile (draw pile).
Leave 4 empty spaces in the top-right corner. These are your Foundation Piles.

The Ultimate Goal: Fill the 4 Foundation Piles

To win Solitaire, you must move all 52 cards into the 4 Foundation Piles in the top corner.

Each pile belongs to one suit (♠ Spades, ♥ Hearts, ♦ Diamonds, ♣ Clubs). Each pile MUST start with the Ace, and you build upward in exact order until the King:

Ace → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → Jack → Queen → King

The 2 Golden Rules of Moving Cards on the Board

While building your foundations, you rearrange the cards in the 7 columns using two simple rules:

Rule 1: Descending Numerical Order

You can place a card on top of another card only if it is exactly one rank lower. For example, a 9 goes on a 10; a 4 goes on a 5; a Jack goes on a Queen.

Rule 2: Alternating Colors (Red on Black, Black on Red!)

You cannot place two cards of the same color on each other! A black card (♠ or ♣) can only be placed on a red card (♥ or ♦), and vice-versa.

Valid: Black 8♠ on Red 9♥ | Invalid: Red 8♦ on Red 9♥

What to Do With Empty Columns? Only Kings!

When you successfully move all the cards out of one of the 7 columns, an empty space opens up on the board. Only a King (or a stack starting with a King) can be placed into an empty space! This is super important because moving a King into an empty column lets you start building a whole new column underneath it.

Using the Stockpile (Draw Pile)

When you don't have any legal moves left on the board, tap your Stockpile in the top-left corner. It will flip cards into the Waste Pile. You can play the top card of the waste pile onto any legal column on the board or up to the foundation!

My Top 3 Tips to Win Klondike Solitaire

Always Reveal Face-Down Cards First: If you have a choice between playing a card from the stockpile or moving a card on the board to flip over a hidden card, ALWAYS flip the hidden card! Unlocking hidden cards is the key to winning.
Send Aces Up Immediately: Whenever an Ace appears on the board or in the draw pile, immediately send it to the foundation pile. There is zero advantage to keeping an Ace in the playing columns.
Don't Empty a Column Without a King Ready: An empty space is useless unless you have a King ready to fill it.

Solitaire is amazing for single-player brain exercise. But when you're ready to test your card skills in live multiplayer matches, check out GoGo Rummy!