Rules
Memory Solitaire rules at a glance
- Use one standard 52-card deck with no jokers.
- Shuffle the deck and lay every card face down in a grid.
- Turn over two cards per turn.
- If the two cards have the same rank, they are cleared from play.
- If the ranks differ, remember both positions; they turn back over when you choose another card.
- Suits do not matter. A queen can match any other queen.
- There are four cards of each rank, so each rank can make two pairs.
- Win by clearing all 26 pairs.
- This version has no timer, move limit, stock pile, redeal, or losing condition.
How to play
How to play Memory Solitaire
Memory Solitaire is a full-deck matching game. Every card starts face down, so the first few turns are mostly exploration. Turn one card over, name it, then turn over a second card. If both cards share the same rank, the pair is cleared. If they do not match, the two cards stay visible until your next choice, giving you a clean moment to memorize them.
The important detail on this page is that suits do not matter. The 10 of spades and the 10 of diamonds are a match because both are 10s. The 10 of spades and the jack of spades are not a match, even though the suit is the same.
You win when the entire deck has been cleared in 26 pairs. The game does not punish you with a loss screen. Instead, the challenge is self-scored through turns, misses, and how confidently you can turn new information into future pairs.
Version
The exact Memory Solitaire version on this site
This page uses a full standard deck rather than a shortened children's memory set. There are thirteen ranks, four suits per rank, and two possible pairs for each rank. Because any two same-rank cards can clear, you do not need to remember a fixed partner for each card. You need to remember rank locations and decide when a known rank has enough information to become a safe pair.
Mismatches are not hidden by a fast timer. They remain face up until you select another card. That choice makes the game calmer on touch screens and more useful as a memory drill: you can pause, read the cards, and deliberately attach them to their positions before moving on.
Setup
Memory Solitaire setup and layout
The opening deal is just the shuffled deck in a grid. On desktop, the grid is wide enough to show the deck in a compact set of rows. On a phone, the grid uses more rows and stays inside the table so the cards never force horizontal scrolling. The card order still runs left to right, top to bottom.
Deck52 cardsOne standard deck, no jokers
LayoutGridEvery card starts face down
Match ruleRank onlySuits and colors do not matter
Goal26 pairsClear the whole board
Examples
Legal and illegal Memory Solitaire matches
A legal match is any two cards with the same rank. The suit symbols are useful for naming the card, but they do not control the match. Color does not matter either. If you turn over the 4 of hearts and the 4 of spades, clear them. If you turn over the 4 of hearts and the 5 of hearts, remember both cards and keep searching.
Legal7 of hearts with 7 of clubs
Legalqueen of spades with queen of diamonds
Legalace of clubs with ace of hearts
Illegal7 of hearts with 8 of hearts
Illegalking of clubs with queen of clubs
Illegaltwo red cards that have different ranks
Four-of-a-kind ranks make the game more flexible than picture-pair memory. Suppose you have seen three kings in different places. Any two of those kings can make the next pair, and the remaining king can wait for the fourth king later.
Recall
How to remember the grid
Treat each reveal as a tiny address: rank plus place. Saying "red queen, upper left" or "black seven, third row" is more useful than simply noticing the card. You are building a map, not just reacting to the current turn.
Work in zones. Clear a corner, a row, or a small cluster before jumping around the whole board. A full deck creates a lot of information quickly, and a local routine keeps the positions from blurring together.
Mismatches
Why wrong guesses still help
A miss is not wasted if you remember it. In Memory Solitaire, a mismatch gives you two known locations for later. The best turns often happen after an earlier miss gives you one half of a rank, then a new reveal supplies the partner.
When two cards do not match, pause before choosing the next card. Name both ranks and their positions. That small habit is worth more than rushing to flip another card.
Strategy
Memory Solitaire strategy for fewer turns
Start by revealing from one area of the grid instead of sampling randomly from everywhere. Random searching gives you information, but it spreads that information across too many positions. A steady scan makes it easier to connect the second, third, and fourth card of a rank.
When you know one card of a rank, do not immediately chase the whole board unless you have a reason. Keep opening nearby cards and let matches come to you. Once you have seen two cards of the same rank, clear them before one of the positions fades from memory.
Pay special attention to ranks that have already produced one pair. If two 6s are gone, only two 6s remain. That makes the next 6 more valuable information because its only partner is the other remaining 6.
Use undo as a learning tool, not as a substitute for recall. If you clicked too quickly, undo can restore the previous state. If you simply forgot a card, it is usually better to keep playing and train the memory pattern you missed.
Mistakes
Common Memory Solitaire mistakes
- Matching by suit instead of rank.
- Forgetting that four cards of each rank can make two flexible pairs.
- Flipping cards from all over the grid without a repeatable scanning pattern.
- Rushing past mismatches before naming both card positions.
- Clearing an easy pair while forgetting the location of a rarer rank you just saw.
- Using the hint button so often that the game stops exercising recall.
Difficulty
Is Memory Solitaire winnable?
Yes. This version is always finishable because every rank appears four times and there is no move limit. Even if you forget several positions, you can keep revealing cards until all 26 pairs are found.
That does not mean every game feels equally easy. A good early spread of repeated ranks can make the board shrink quickly. A deal that exposes many unrelated ranks first asks for more patience and better recall.
Hints
How hints work in this game
The hint button highlights a matching rank pair. If you have already selected one card, the hint tries to point to a partner for that selected rank. If nothing is selected, it highlights a pair somewhere on the board.
This is intentionally stronger than a vague strategic hint because Memory Solitaire has no legal-move puzzle hidden under the surface. The hint is there for relaxed play, accessibility, and learning the grid. For a stricter memory test, ignore hints and treat turns and misses as your score.
Variants
Memory Solitaire variants and house rules
Many memory games use special picture cards where each card has one exact twin. A standard deck changes that feel because each rank has four suits. Some house rules match only the same color, such as 8 of hearts with 8 of diamonds, which makes the game stricter. Others match exact rank and suit in a two-deck layout, which turns the game into a much larger picture-pair puzzle.
Timed versions and penalty versions are also common. This page leaves those out. The goal is a calm solitaire memory board that works on desktop and mobile, with no timer pressure and no hidden scoring rule beyond turns, misses, and cleared pairs.
Nearby games
How Memory compares with Circle, Accordion, and Pyramid
Memory Solitaire and Circle Solitaire both begin with face-down cards, but Circle is mostly a luck chain where each rank tells you the next pile. Memory gives you control over where to look next and rewards recall across the whole layout.
Accordion is also a matching game, but it is fully visible and positional: piles move left by rank or suit. Pyramid uses pairs too, yet its pairs are value sums that total thirteen. Memory is the simplest of the group mechanically, and the most direct test of attention.