"Solitaire" is a family of one-player card games, sometimes called patience in Britain. They share a vocabulary: the tableau is the main layout of columns; foundations are the piles you build up by suit to win; the stock is the face-down supply; the waste is where stock cards are turned. What changes from game to game is which moves are legal. Try it:
Card you're moving
Destination
- Klondike: legalOpposite colour and one rank lower: Six of hearts fits on Seven of spades.
- FreeCell: legalSame rule as Klondike: alternate colours, one rank lower.
- Spider: legalOne rank lower is enough in Spider, but the mixed suits mean these two can never be moved together.
- Pyramid: legal6 + 7 = 13: remove both.
Klondike (classic Solitaire)
Deal: seven columns of 1 to 7 cards, only the top card face up; 24 cards in the stock. Build: tableau down in alternating colours; foundations up by suit from Ace. Move: any face-up run in order can move together. An empty column takes only a King. Stock: turn 1 or 3 cards at a time onto the waste; the top waste card is playable. Win: all 52 cards on the foundations. Play Klondike.
Spider
Deal: two decks; 54 cards in ten columns (four columns of 6, six of 5), top cards face up; 50 in the stock. Build: down by rank regardless of suit. Move: only same-suit runs move as a unit. Any card can fill an empty column. Stock: deals one card onto every column, allowed only when no column is empty. Win: complete eight King-to-Ace same-suit runs, which are removed automatically. Play Spider.
FreeCell
Deal: all 52 cards face up in eight columns (four of 7, four of 6). Build: tableau down in alternating colours; foundations up by suit. Free cells: four spaces that each hold any one card. Move: officially one card at a time; in practice you may move a run of (free cells + 1) × 2empty columns cards. Any card fills an empty column. Win: all cards home. Play FreeCell.
Pyramid
Deal: 28 cards in a seven-row pyramid, each row overlapping the one above; 24 in the stock. Remove: pairs of uncovered cards totalling 13 (A=1, J=11, Q=12); Kings go alone. A card is uncovered when both cards overlapping it are gone. Stock: turned one at a time; the top waste card can pair. Our version allows three passes. Win: clear the pyramid. Play Pyramid.
Quick comparison
| Game | Decks | Hidden cards | Build tableau | Empty column takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klondike | 1 | Yes | Down, alternating colours | King only |
| Spider | 2 | Yes | Down, any suit (move same suit) | Anything |
| FreeCell | 1 | No | Down, alternating colours | Anything |
| Pyramid | 1 | Partly | n/a: pairs to 13 | n/a |
Ask the puzzle coach
Stuck on a rule or a tactic? Ask in plain words. The coach only talks puzzles, and the answer is written for you on the spot.
Questions players ask
What are the basic rules of solitaire?
In Klondike, the usual "solitaire", you build seven columns downward in alternating colours and move every card to four suit foundations from Ace to King, drawing from a stock when stuck.
Can you put any card in an empty space in solitaire?
In Klondike only a King can go into an empty column. In FreeCell and Spider any card can.
How many times can you go through the deck?
In the traditional rules Klondike allows unlimited passes for Draw 1 and Draw 3 in casual play (some scoring rules limit this). Pyramid usually allows three passes. Spider and FreeCell have no recyclable stock.
Which solitaire is the hardest?
Four-suit Spider is widely considered the hardest of the four. FreeCell is the most skill-based: almost every deal can be won with good play.