Solitaire is the single most played card game in the world, and almost everyone has seen it on a computer at some point. Yet plenty of people have never actually learned the rules, clicking cards more or less at random and hoping something happens. The truth is that solitaire follows a small, logical set of rules, and once they click into place the game becomes both relaxing and genuinely satisfying to win.
This guide teaches you solitaire from the very beginning. You will learn how the board is laid out, what you are trying to achieve, how every legal move works, and a few simple habits that turn a confusing mess of cards into a clear, winnable puzzle. We will focus on Klondike, the classic version most people mean when they say solitaire, and you can follow along with a live game of Klondike solitaire as you read.
What Is Solitaire?
Solitaire, also called patience, is a family of single-player card games played with a standard 52-card deck. The word covers hundreds of variants, but they all share the same basic idea: you sort a shuffled deck into an ordered arrangement by making legal moves one at a time. Because you play alone, there is no luck of the draw against an opponent, only the challenge of the layout in front of you.
The version almost everyone learns first is Klondike. When someone says they are playing solitaire on their computer, they almost always mean Klondike, so it is the perfect place to start. Once you understand it, the other members of the family, which we compare in the main types of solitaire compared, become far easier to pick up.
The Goal of the Game
Before touching a single card, it helps to know exactly what winning looks like. In Klondike solitaire your goal is to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one for each suit. Each foundation is built up in order from the Ace at the bottom to the King at the top: Ace, 2, 3, and so on up to Queen and King. When all four suits are complete, from Ace to King, you have won.
Everything you do during the game is in service of that single objective. Every move should, directly or indirectly, help you free the cards you need to build those four foundation piles.
Setting Up the Board
A game of Klondike has three main areas, and understanding them is half the battle. Take a moment to look at the layout on the Klondike table before you start playing.
The Tableau
The tableau is the main playing area of seven columns spread across the middle of the board. The first column has one card, the second has two, and so on up to seven cards in the last column. Only the top card of each column is face up; the rest sit face down until you uncover them.
The Stock and Waste
The remaining cards after the tableau is dealt form the stock, a face-down pile in the corner. When you have no moves left in the tableau, you draw from the stock into the waste pile beside it, revealing new cards to play. Depending on the game, you draw either one card or three at a time.
The Foundations
The four foundation piles sit at the top of the board, one per suit, and start empty. This is where you build your Ace-to-King sequences and, ultimately, win the game.
The Basic Moves
Solitaire has only a handful of legal moves, and they are easy to remember once you see the pattern. Here is everything you can do:
- Move a card to a foundation: Play an Ace to an empty foundation, then build up in suit, 2 on the Ace, 3 on the 2, and so on.
- Build down in the tableau: Place a card on a tableau column if it is one rank lower and the opposite color. A red 6 goes on a black 7; a black 9 goes on a red 10.
- Move groups of cards: A correctly ordered run of face-up cards can be moved together as a unit onto another column.
- Fill an empty column: Only a King, or a group headed by a King, can be placed into an empty tableau column.
- Draw from the stock: When stuck, turn cards from the stock to the waste and play the top waste card.
The alternating-color rule in the tableau is the one beginners forget most often. In the tableau you always build downward and in alternating colors; on the foundations you build upward and in matching suit. Keep those two directions straight and the rest follows.
Playing Your First Hand: Step by Step
Let us put it all together into a simple routine you can follow every turn. Doing the same checks in the same order keeps you from missing easy moves.
- Look for Aces and 2s. Move any Aces straight to the foundations, followed by any 2s of the same suit.
- Uncover face-down cards. Make tableau moves that flip a hidden card face up, since every revealed card gives you new options.
- Build down in alternating colors. Stack cards in the tableau to keep sequences going and free more cards.
- Use empty columns wisely. Move a King into any gap you create to open up fresh building space.
- Draw from the stock last. Only turn to the stock when the tableau offers nothing, then repeat these steps with the new card.
Follow this loop and you will be surprised how quickly a scattered board starts to come together. Practice it on a real game of Klondike and the sequence becomes second nature within a few rounds.
Common Beginner Mistakes
A few habits trip up almost every new player. Avoiding them will improve your win rate immediately. The biggest one is rushing Aces and low cards to the foundations too early; sometimes you need a low card in the tableau to receive a higher card and keep a sequence alive. Another common error is emptying a column with no King ready to fill it, which wastes valuable space. Finally, many beginners forget to plan before drawing from the stock, using up their draws without a purpose. Slowing down and thinking one move ahead fixes all three, a habit we explore further in solitaire strategy basics.
Where to Go Next
Once Klondike feels comfortable, a whole world of variants opens up. FreeCell rewards careful planning and is almost always winnable; Spider uses two decks and challenges you to build long same-suit runs; and Yukon deals every card face up for a very different kind of puzzle. If you are wondering which to try first, our guide to the best solitaire for beginners points you in the right direction, while FreeCell and Spider solitaire are both a single click away whenever you feel ready to branch out.
Conclusion
Learning to play solitaire comes down to a few simple ideas: build the four foundations up by suit from Ace to King, build the tableau down in alternating colors, uncover face-down cards whenever you can, and save empty columns for Kings. Work through those steps in order and every deal becomes a solvable puzzle rather than a guessing game. Ready to try it yourself? Open a free game of Klondike solitaire now, or explore every variant on the free-solitaire.co homepage and find the one you love best.