The classic single-player solitaire: build the four foundations from ace to king using alternating-colour columns.
- Variant code
- klondike-standard
- Players
- 1
- Deck
- Standard 52-card deck.
- Teams
- Solo play.
- Scoring engine
- none (manual)
- Reviewed
- 2026-11-10 (editorial; revision 1)
Quick start
Deal seven columns of one to seven cards, only the top card face up. Build the four foundations up from ace to king by suit, and the tableau down in alternating colours. Draw one card at a time. Win by moving all fifty-two cards up.
Players and object
One player, one standard deck; complete all four foundations.
Claim and evidence (players)
A single-player game.
- Klondike - Pagat (players)
- Solitaire rules overview - Bicycle Cards (general)
Setup and deal
Seven piles from one to seven cards; the rest form the stock, turned one at a time.
Turn order
Solo play in any order; turn stock cards one at a time to a waste pile.
Legal moves
Foundations build up by suit; tableau builds down in alternating colours; an empty column takes a king.
Claim and evidence (legal_play)
Foundations build up by suit; tableau builds down in alternating colours.
- Klondike - Pagat (play)
Ending and scoring
The game is won when all four foundations are complete; it is recorded as a win or a loss, not a points total.
Ending the game
All fifty-two cards are on the foundations.
Claim and evidence (win_condition)
A win is all four foundations complete; no points formula is invented.
- Klondike - Pagat (game)
- Solitaire rules overview - Bicycle Cards (general)
Worked example
A red 6 on a black 7 is legal; moving the 6-5-4 sequence keeps alternating colours. An ace of hearts goes straight to a foundation.
House-rule choices
Draw one or three cards, redeals, and whether empty columns accept only kings.
Common questions
How many redeals? This variant allows unlimited redeals. Do I have to move every card? Yes.
Historical reference
The Patience collection is a historical cross-reference; it does not automatically define Klondike.
Worked example
First moves from a fresh deal
An ace starts a foundation; alternating-colour descending builds are legal.
| Expected result | Value |
|---|---|
| foundations | 1 |
| tableau_move_ok | 1 |
Reproduced by an editor; win-or-not, no scoring engine.
Sources and review
Written in original wording and checked against the references below for this exact variant. External prose is not copied. Every material claim carries its own evidence.
- Klondike - Pagat (reference)
- Solitaire rules overview - Bicycle Cards (reference)
- Games of Solitaire or Patience (historical) - Project Gutenberg (historical)
Glossary
- Foundation
- In Klondike, one of the four piles built upward by suit from ace to king.
- Trump
- The suit that outranks all other suits for the current hand or deal.