Rules
Grandfather's Clock Solitaire rules at a glance
- Use one standard 52-card deck with no jokers.
- Remove twelve specific cards before the shuffle; these become the clock foundations.
- The remaining 40 cards are dealt face up into eight tableau columns of five cards.
- Only the top card of each tableau column is available.
- Foundations build upward by suit and can wrap from king to ace.
- Each foundation stops when its top card matches its clock hour.
- Tableau columns build downward by rank regardless of suit or color.
- This site version does not allow tableau wrapping from ace down to king.
- Only one card moves at a time; packed tableau sequences do not move as a group.
- Empty tableau columns accept any available top card.
- There is no stock, no waste, and no redeal.
- Win by moving all tableau cards to the twelve foundations.
How to play
How to play Grandfather's Clock Solitaire
Grandfather's Clock is an open one-deck patience game. The clock face is already started when the deal begins: twelve foundation cards sit in positions labeled 1 through 12, and the rest of the deck is visible in eight tableau columns. Your job is to move the tableau cards onto the clock until each foundation shows the card value that matches its hour.
The foundations are strict. If the 1 o'clock foundation starts with the 10 of hearts, it needs the jack of hearts next, then queen, king, and ace. The 8 o'clock foundation starts with the 5 of clubs and needs 6, 7, and 8 of clubs. A card must match the foundation suit and the next rank in that foundation's sequence.
The tableau is your workspace. You may move only the exposed top card of a column. Tableau cards build down by one rank regardless of suit, so a 6 can move onto any 7. Empty columns are open spaces and may take any available top card. Because there is no stock, every move should either feed a foundation, expose a useful card, or create a space you can spend well.
Setup
The exact setup on this page
This version uses the traditional one-deck layout. Before the tableau is dealt, twelve starter cards are placed on the clock. The clock does not start at ace. It starts with a staggered run of cards, which is why the finished top cards form 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on around the dial.
After those starters are removed, the remaining forty cards are shuffled and dealt face up into eight columns of five. There are no hidden cards. That makes the game feel fairer than many stock games, but it also means you can see trouble early: if a needed card is buried under a rank that cannot move, you must make room before the foundation can advance.
Clock map
Grandfather's Clock foundation map
The first four positions wrap through king to ace because their finished clock values are ace, 2, 3, and 4. The later positions are shorter, ending before a wrap is needed. That is why some foundations need five cards total and some need four.
1 o'clockStarts: 10 of heartsEnds: ace of hearts10, J, Q, K, A
2 o'clockStarts: jack of spadesEnds: 2 of spadesJ, Q, K, A, 2
3 o'clockStarts: queen of diamondsEnds: 3 of diamondsQ, K, A, 2, 3
4 o'clockStarts: king of clubsEnds: 4 of clubsK, A, 2, 3, 4
5 o'clockStarts: 2 of heartsEnds: 5 of hearts2, 3, 4, 5
6 o'clockStarts: 3 of spadesEnds: 6 of spades3, 4, 5, 6
7 o'clockStarts: 4 of diamondsEnds: 7 of diamonds4, 5, 6, 7
8 o'clockStarts: 5 of clubsEnds: 8 of clubs5, 6, 7, 8
9 o'clockStarts: 6 of heartsEnds: 9 of hearts6, 7, 8, 9
10 o'clockStarts: 7 of spadesEnds: 10 of spades7, 8, 9, 10
11 o'clockStarts: 8 of diamondsEnds: jack of diamonds8, 9, 10, J
12 o'clockStarts: 9 of clubsEnds: queen of clubs9, 10, J, Q
Foundations
How the clock foundations build
A foundation accepts only one suit. The 12 o'clock foundation is clubs because it starts with the 9 of clubs; it needs 10 of clubs, jack of clubs, and queen of clubs to finish. The 3 o'clock foundation is diamonds and builds queen, king, ace, 2, 3.
Foundation cards never come back down to the tableau on this page. Before sending a card upward, check whether it is also supporting a useful tableau move. A legal foundation move is often good, but not always urgent.
Tableau
How tableau columns work
Only the top card of each column is free. A top card can move to another tableau column if it is exactly one rank lower than the destination top card. The move ignores suit and color, so 7 of hearts, 7 of spades, 7 of diamonds, and 7 of clubs are all the same landing rank for a 6.
Empty columns are flexible. They can take any available top card, which makes them the main tool for unblocking buried foundation cards. This page does not allow king on ace in the tableau; if a future round-the-corner variant appears, it should be labeled as a different mode.
Moves
Legal and illegal move examples
The easiest way to avoid mistakes is to ask two questions. For a foundation move: is this the same suit and the next rank in that clock pile? For a tableau move: is this card one rank lower than the exposed card it will land on, or is the destination empty?
FoundationJack of hearts goes on the 1 o'clock foundation because it starts with the 10 of hearts.
Foundation wrapAce of clubs goes on the 4 o'clock foundation after the king of clubs.
Tableau build6 of any suit can move onto any exposed 7.
Empty columnAny available top card can fill an empty tableau column.
Illegal tableauKing cannot move onto ace in this site version; tableau building does not wrap.
Illegal foundationA card must match both suit and the next rank of that exact clock foundation.
Strategy
Grandfather's Clock strategy that actually changes the deal
Grandfather's Clock is much more strategic than Clock Patience because the tableau gives you choices. The strongest habit is to compare what each move reveals. If two 6s can move, the better one is usually the 6 that uncovers a foundation card, opens a column, or exposes a card that can immediately continue downward.
Do not spend empty columns lazily. A space can rescue any top card, so it is your best way to unbury a stuck suit. If you fill a space with a card that does not create a new move, you may have turned a flexible tool into another blocked column.
Watch the short foundations and long foundations differently. The 5 through 12 o'clock foundations need only three more cards after their starters. The 1 through 4 o'clock foundations need four more and cross the king-to-ace boundary. Those longer piles can stay hungry for a while, so do not assume an ace, 2, 3, or 4 is late just because it looks low.
A final useful rule: when a foundation move is available, pause before taking it if the card is a tableau support. Sometimes a 7 is more valuable holding a 6 in place for one more move than it is sitting safely on the clock.
Mistakes
Common Grandfather's Clock mistakes
- Expecting every foundation to start with an ace.
- Sending a card to a foundation before checking what it was supporting in the tableau.
- Using empty spaces for harmless cards instead of cards that reveal something useful.
- Trying to move a sequence instead of a single exposed top card.
- Using suit or color as a tableau restriction. Tableau building only checks rank.
- Trying to wrap king onto ace in the tableau. This version does not allow that move.
Difficulty
Is Grandfather's Clock Solitaire winnable?
Grandfather's Clock is not guaranteed, but it is friendlier than pure luck clock games. All tableau cards are visible, spaces are flexible, and you often get several ways to release a buried rank. Skill matters most when duplicate ranks are exposed and you have to decide which column is worth opening.
This page does not claim a fixed win rate. A useful percentage should be measured from this exact implementation: eight open columns, one-card moves, any-card spaces, no stock, no redeal, and no tableau wrap from ace to king.
Variants
Grandfather's Clock, Clock Patience, and Big Ben
The names in the clock family can be confusing. Clock Patience is the famous thirteen-pile reveal game where each card sends play to another pile. It looks like a clock, but it gives the player almost no decisions. Grandfather's Clock also uses a clock face, yet it is a foundation builder with an open tableau and real card-order choices.
Big Ben is the larger relative. It uses two decks, an inner circle of clock foundations, outer tableau piles, a stock, a waste pile, and gap-filling rules. It is a different game, not just a bigger skin for the one-deck Grandfather's Clock on this page.
Nearby games
What to play after Grandfather's Clock Solitaire
If you like the clock theme, play Clock Patience next to feel the contrast between a forced reveal game and a tableau builder. If you like unusual foundation order, Calculation Solitaire is the sharper puzzle: four foundations count by different intervals, and waste piles decide whether the plan survives.
Four Seasons is another compact game where foundations wrap around the rank cycle, but it adds stock and waste pressure. Baker's Dozen and Spanish Patience are good next stops if you want open tableau cards without a clock layout.