Klondike

If you only know one solitaire game, this is probably the one. We present two variations: the familiar rules, which most people learn as children and which make the game easier to win, and the more difficult strict or “casino” rules.

Klondike is often incorrectly called Canfield, and vice-versa. Both are popular games. If this one isn’t the game you learned to call Klondike, check out Canfield.

Layout Size: Fits a small screen without scrolling, except in very rare games.

Difficulty: An easy game to learn and play, but with little room for strategy. The familiar rules can be won perhaps one game in ten. Wins in the strict version are rare.

Familiar Rules: There are four foundations, which are initially empty. There are seven tableau piles, fanned down. The first tableau starts with one card, the second with two cards, and so on to the seventh, which starts with seven cards. The tableaus initially have all cards face-down except the top card of each, which is face-up. The remaining cards are kept in the hand, and dealt as needed into a wastepile.

Top cards of tableaus and wastepile are available for building onto the foundations, which build up following suit. Only an Ace may be played to an empty foundation. Top card of the wastepile and partial or full builds from the tableaus are available for building on the tableaus, which build down by alternating color. Only Kings or builds whose bottom card is a King may be played to an empty tableau pile.

(See picture: Klondike. The AH can be moved to a foundation; the 10H can be moved to either black Jack.)

You may deal from the hand at any time by taking a three-card packet from the hand and turning it face-up onto the wastepile. You may redeal indefinitely: when the hand is empty, pick up the entire wastepile and turn it face-down to form a new hand.

The goal is to move all the cards onto the foundations. Like Canfield, you can also score by charging 52 points a game, and winning back 5 points for every card played to the foundations.

Strict Rules: The same as the familiar rules, with these exceptions: You may only move full builds among the tableaus; you deal only one card at a time instead of three; and there are no redeals.

On the Screen: Solitaire Till Dawn will lay out the tableaus for you. Deal and redeal by clicking on the hand.