Klondike, Spider and FreeCell on a lamp-lit card table, every deal proven winnable.
Solitaire brings the three great patience games to one quiet table: Klondike, the game most people simply call solitaire; Spider, played with two decks and ten columns; and FreeCell, where every card is face up from the start. The cards are real objects here, thick enough to see their edges, laminated so they catch the lamp, and they arc, flip and settle the way a deck does in your hands.
Every deal is checked by a built-in solver before you see it, so there is always a way through. Use unlimited undo, ask for a hint when you are stuck, let auto-complete finish the formality at the end, and enjoy the bouncing card cascade when you clear the table. Pick from four table finishes, from classic green felt to lacquered walnut.
How to play
- Klondike: build four foundations, one per suit, from ace up to king. In the seven tableau columns, stack cards downwards in alternating colours (a red 6 on a black 7). Only a king can fill an empty column. Turn cards from the stock when you run out of moves: one at a time in Draw 1, three at a time in Draw 3, where only the top card is playable.
- Spider: build runs from king down to ace inside the ten columns. You can place any card on one rank higher, but only a run of one suit moves as a group, and a complete king-to-ace run of one suit leaves the table. When you are stuck, deal a new card onto every column from the stock (every column must have a card first). Clear all eight runs to win.
- FreeCell: all 52 cards are dealt face up. Build down in alternating colours in the columns and up by suit on the foundations. The four free cells each hold one card. Moving a group of cards needs enough free cells and empty columns to shuffle them across one at a time.
- Drag a card (and anything stacked on it) to move it, or simply tap or click it to send it to its best spot. Double-click sends a card to its foundation. Time counts from your first move; your fastest wins are recorded.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move cards | Mouse drag, or click for the best move | Drag, or tap for the best move | D-pad to choose a pile, A to pick up and place |
| Send to foundation | Double-click, or F | Double-tap | B |
| Choose a pile | Arrow keys or Tab (Shift+Tab back) | - | D-pad / left stick, LB / RB |
| Pick up / place | Space or Enter | - | A |
| Draw / deal from stock | D, or click the stock | Tap the stock | LT / RT |
| Undo | U, Z or Backspace | Undo button | X |
| Hint | H | Hint button | Y |
| Change table | T | Table button | - |
| Pause / new deal | Esc / R | Pause button / New deal | Start / Back |
Every action can be remapped in Settings.
Modes
- Klondike · Draw 1
- The classic patience. Build four suits up from the aces; turn one card at a time.
- Klondike · Draw 3
- Three cards per turn, only the top one playable. The purist's version.
- Spider · 1 Suit
- Two decks, ten columns. Build K to A runs to clear them. Gentle.
- Spider · 2 Suits
- Spades and hearts: runs must be one suit to move or clear.
- Spider · 4 Suits
- All four suits. The hardest patience in the house.
- FreeCell
- Every card face up, four free cells. Pure skill, every deal winnable.
- Daily Deal Daily
- Today's Klondike (Draw 1) deal, the same for everyone and proven winnable.
Tips & strategy
- In Klondike, turning over face-down cards matters more than anything else. Prefer the move that uncovers a hidden card, and start with the longest columns.
- Don't rush every card to the foundations. A low card on the foundation can't come back to hold the next card down, so keep a few twos and threes in play until you are sure.
- Only fill an empty Klondike column when you have a king (ideally with a run behind it) that unlocks something useful.
- In Spider, empty columns are gold: use them to rearrange runs into single suits rather than parking cards there for good.
- In Spider, deal from the stock only when you have done everything useful; each deal buries ten cards.
- In FreeCell, plan before you move. Free cells fill up fast, and every empty cell or column doubles how many cards you can move at once.
- Stuck? Hint searches for a winning line from where you are, and undo is unlimited, so experiment.
Achievements
- Clean TableWin any gameLocked
- Triple DrawWin Klondike with Draw 3Locked
- Lightning HandsWin Klondike Draw 1 in under 3 minutesLocked
- SpinnerWin Spider with one suitLocked
- Widow MakerWin Spider with all four suitsLocked
- Free SpiritWin a game of FreeCellLocked
- EconomistWin FreeCell in 100 moves or fewerLocked
- No RegretsWin without using undoLocked
- Daily DealerWin the Daily DealLocked
A short history of the genre
Patience games appear in European card books from the late 18th century, and by the 19th century collections of dozens of games were popular parlour pastimes. Klondike takes its name from the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s, and it became the best-known patience of the 20th century. Spider dates back at least to the 1940s, and FreeCell was popularised in the late 1970s and grew famous on home computers, where it was discovered that almost every one of its deals can be solved.
The rules played here are the standard modern ones: Klondike with unlimited passes through the stock, Spider with the usual six-and-five deal and fifty-card stock, and FreeCell with four cells and multi-card moves. Unlike a shuffled paper deck, every game on this table has been solved by a computer before it is dealt, so a win is always possible.
FAQ
Is Solitaire free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up. Unobtrusive ads support the site and never cover the cards.
Is every deal really winnable?
Yes. Before a Klondike or FreeCell deal is shown, a solver plays it through to a win (it tries another shuffle if it can't). Spider deals come from a list of games the same solver has already won. You may still need undo to find the way.
How is my score counted?
Your score is the time to win, and lower is better. The clock starts on your first move. Only wins are recorded as personal bests. Moves, undos and hints are shown on the results screen.
What is the Daily Deal?
A Klondike (Draw 1) deal that is the same for every player on the same day and changes at midnight UTC. Your best time of the day is saved, and you can share it.
Does it work on phones?
Yes. Drag cards with your finger or tap one to send it to its best spot. In portrait the table packs the columns closer together and fans cards taller so everything stays readable.
Can I change the look?
Press the Table button (or T) to cycle through Emerald Felt, Walnut, Midnight and Crimson Velvet. Each has its own card backs and your choice is remembered. Turning on a colour-blind mode in Settings switches to a four-colour deck.
Updates
- Solitaire opened with Klondike (Draw 1 and 3), Spider (1, 2 and 4 suits), FreeCell and the Daily Deal.
