The name "solitaire" refers to any one of a number of card games requiring only one player. Computers in 2010 frequently come loaded with as many as three different versions of the game, including Klondike, spider solitaire, and free cell. Rules for as many as 100 different solitaire games have made their way into books. Klondike is one of the most popular versions of the game worldwide and the rules are easy to follow.
Deal a single row of seven cards, leaving the first one face up and all the others face down. These cards form the base of your row stacks.
Deal a row of six cards; deal the first card face up on top of the second card from the left in the original row. Deal all of the others face down, one on top of each of the remaining face-down cards from your original row.
Deal a row of five cards. Deal the first card face up on top of the third card from the left in the original row. Deal all of the others face down, one on top of each remaining face-down cards from your original row.
Continue this pattern until you have dealt just one card, face up, on top of the seventh card from the original row. You are now set to begin game play. The cards remaining in your hand are your draw pile.
Remove any aces that are face up on your row stacks and place them above your row stacks; the aces will begin your suit stacks. Suit stacks are built consecutively from aces to kings, one for each suit. Your object during game play is to build four complete suit stacks.
Flip over the top card of any row stack that has a face-down top card. Any card that is face up on top of a row stack is a playable card and can be moved anywhere it legally fits on the playing board.
Move kings from the draw pile or your row stacks into the empty space left behind when you have played all the cards in another row stack. You may never have more than seven row stacks at any time, and only kings or rows headed by kings may move into the empty spaces.
Play cards on your row stacks in descending order, from king to ace, in alternating colors. For example, if a row stack has a 10 of spades showing, you may play a nine of hearts or a nine of diamonds on it.
Flip over the first three cards in your draw pile, one on top of the other, leaving only the third card visible. Play this card if you can. Once you have played the top card in your draw pile, the card left showing becomes playable. If you cannot play the card left showing, deal three more cards.
Continue dealing cards from your draw pile until all cards are face up. Then flip the entire stack over and begin again. Continue until you have won the game or no moves remain.
Deal a single row of seven cards, leaving the first one face up and all the others face down. These cards form the base of your row stacks.
Deal a row of six cards; deal the first card face up on top of the second card from the left in the original row. Deal all of the others face down, one on top of each of the remaining face-down cards from your original row.
Deal a row of five cards. Deal the first card face up on top of the third card from the left in the original row. Deal all of the others face down, one on top of each remaining face-down cards from your original row.
Continue this pattern until you have dealt just one card, face up, on top of the seventh card from the original row. You are now set to begin game play. The cards remaining in your hand are your draw pile.
Remove any aces that are face up on your row stacks and place them above your row stacks; the aces will begin your suit stacks. Suit stacks are built consecutively from aces to kings, one for each suit. Your object during game play is to build four complete suit stacks.
Flip over the top card of any row stack that has a face-down top card. Any card that is face up on top of a row stack is a playable card and can be moved anywhere it legally fits on the playing board.
Move kings from the draw pile or your row stacks into the empty space left behind when you have played all the cards in another row stack. You may never have more than seven row stacks at any time, and only kings or rows headed by kings may move into the empty spaces.
Play cards on your row stacks in descending order, from king to ace, in alternating colors. For example, if a row stack has a 10 of spades showing, you may play a nine of hearts or a nine of diamonds on it.
Flip over the first three cards in your draw pile, one on top of the other, leaving only the third card visible. Play this card if you can. Once you have played the top card in your draw pile, the card left showing becomes playable. If you cannot play the card left showing, deal three more cards.
Continue dealing cards from your draw pile until all cards are face up. Then flip the entire stack over and begin again. Continue until you have won the game or no moves remain.