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Solitaire Variations
Solitaire is not one game. It is a whole shelf of one-player card games: some quick and lucky, some slow and exact, some built around foundations, and some about removing cards before the table closes in.
Start here
Five things a solitaire deal can ask of you
Solitaire is a category, not a game, and the games in it are less alike than the shared name suggests. Underneath the layouts almost every one of them sets one of five goals, and knowing which you are looking at tells you most of what you need before the first move.
The directory further down is sorted by these five families, so you can browse by the kind of puzzle you want rather than by name.
| Family | What the deal asks you to do | Games here |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation builders | Move every card onto ordered piles, usually ace to king by suit. This is the biggest family by far and includes almost every game people picture when they hear the word solitaire. | 54 |
| Run builders | There are no foundations. You assemble long sequences inside the tableau itself, and a completed run lifts off the board. | 7 |
| Matchers | Clear the table by removing cards in pairs or sets chosen by value — totals of thirteen, matching ranks, or a higher card of the same suit. | 5 |
| Sequence clearers | Peel cards off the board one rank up or down, building a single long chain onto a waste pile. Short games, decided by how long your runs are. | 3 |
| Sorters, chains and oddities | Games that arrange rather than build or remove: sliding cards into rank order, following a forced chain around a dial, or keeping score. | 7 |
What actually varies
The five rules worth checking before you start
Layouts get the attention, but they are mostly decoration. These five rules do the real work, and two games with the same board can play nothing alike because of them.
| The rule | Why it matters | Where the extremes are |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden information | The best single predictor of how much a game is planning and how much is luck. | None in FreeCell. Twenty-one cards in Klondike. Forty-four in Spider. |
| What fills an empty column | Usually the scarcest resource on the board, and the rule that varies most. | Any card in FreeCell and Forty Thieves. Kings only in Klondike and Yukon. Refilled automatically in Canfield and Terrace. |
| How the stock behaves | Decides how many second chances the deal gives you. | No stock at all in Yukon and FreeCell. One pass in Forty Thieves. Unlimited in Klondike. |
| How strict the suits are | Loose suits make the tableau helpful; strict suits make it a bottleneck. | Colour only in Klondike. Exact suit in Forty Thieves and Russian Solitaire. |
| Whether sequences move together | The difference between a tidy column being an asset and being a liability. | Whole packets in Yukon. Ordered runs only in Klondike. One card at a time in Forty Thieves. |
Hidden information is the one to check first. A game with nothing face down is a puzzle you can solve; a game with forty-four face-down cards is one you can play well and still lose. Everything after that is a matter of taste.
A warning about rule books
The same name does not mean the same game
These games travelled through Victorian rule books, bundled computer software and local habit long before anything was written down definitively. Names stuck; rules drifted. One version allows unlimited redeals and another allows none. One lets any card fill an empty space, another reserves it for kings. Neither is wrong, and the difference can turn a hard deal into an easy one.
That is why every game page here carries a "this version" box stating exactly what the implementation does where published rules disagree, and why none of them quote a win rate borrowed from elsewhere. If you want the terminology itself — patience versus solitaire, and what the game is called across Europe — that is on the patience game page.
Directory
Every game on this site, by family
All 76 playable games, grouped by what the deal asks you to do.
Foundation builders (54)
Move every card onto ordered piles, usually ace to king by suit. This is the biggest family by far and includes almost every game people picture when they hear the word solitaire.
Patience Game
Classic patience solitaire
Play draw-one Patience Solitaire with seven tableau columns, a stock and waste, and suit foundations.
Solitaire
Classic Klondike builder
The familiar seven-column Solitaire game with hidden tableau cards, suit foundations, and a draw-one stock.
Easy Solitaire
Beginner-friendly Klondike
Play Solitaire Easy with turn-one draw, unlimited passes, face-up cards, winnable deals, relaxed moves, and FreeCell-style help.
Hard Solitaire
Strict draw-three Klondike
Play Solitaire Hard with draw-three stock, three passes, king-only spaces, locked foundations, no hints, and timer pressure.
Klondike Solitaire
Classic seven-column builder
Play draw-one Klondike with seven tableau columns, hidden cards to uncover, a stock and waste, and ace-to-king foundations.
Las Vegas Solitaire
One-pass scored Klondike
Play Vegas-style Klondike with a $52 buy-in, $5 foundation cards, draw-one stock, and no redeal.
Easthaven Solitaire
Klondike-family row dealer
Play the compact seven-column builder with three-card piles, stock rows, alternating colors, and king-only spaces.
FreeCell Solitaire
Open-cell planning
A highly tactical builder where every card is visible and the four free cells decide how much room you really have.
Eight Off Solitaire
Open-cell suit builder
A FreeCell-family puzzle with eight reserve cells, same-suit tableau building, and king-only empty columns.
Seahaven Towers Solitaire
Open-cell suit builder
A ten-column FreeCell cousin with two cards already in tower cells, same-suit tableau lanes, and king-only spaces.
Penguin Solitaire
Open-cell beak builder
A beak-centered open game with seven flipper cells, same-suit sequences, wrapped foundations, and rank-restricted spaces.
Yukon Solitaire
Open tableau builder
A tableau-heavy game where any face-up card can carry the cards above it, creating bold moves and fast reveals.
Alaska Solitaire
Yukon-family suit builder
A Yukon-style game where packets move freely and tableau cards build by suit one rank up or down.
Russian Solitaire
Yukon-family suit builder
A tougher Yukon-family game where free packets move onto same-suit cards one rank higher.
Australian Patience
Yukon-family stock builder
A same-suit packet game with seven columns of four cards, ace-to-king foundations, and a one-pass stock.
Baker's Dozen Solitaire
Open foundation builder
Play the classic thirteen-column patience game where all cards are visible and emptied columns stay closed.
Spanish Patience
Baker's Dozen-family builder
A thirteen-column open patience game where top cards pack down by rank and any card can refill a space.
Agnes Solitaire
Klondike-like reserve builder
Play the Agnes Bernauer game with base-rank foundations, seven face-up tableau columns, and seven reserve depots.
Canfield Solitaire
Reserve solitaire
A compact builder with a 13-card reserve, draw-three waste, and foundations that start from a changing base rank.
Double Canfield Solitaire
Two-deck reserve solitaire
Play the larger Canfield cousin with two decks, eight foundations, five tableau piles, and a 13-card reserve.
Duchess Solitaire
Reserve fan solitaire
Choose the foundation base from four reserve fan tops, build by suit, manage tableau vacancies, and use one redeal.
Four Seasons Solitaire
Cross-and-corners builder
Build corner foundations from a shared base rank while the five-card cross packs downward and the no-redeal stock runs out.
Casket Solitaire
Two-deck reserve packer
Open the five-card lid, release the thirteen jewels, build casket piles down by suit, and manage three no-redeal waste piles.
La Belle Lucie Solitaire
Fan solitaire
A classic fan patience game with 18 face-up fans, same-suit descending moves, ace-up foundations, and two reshuffles.
Shamrocks Solitaire
Fan solitaire
A no-redeal fan game with up-or-down rank moves, closed empty fans, and a strict three-card limit.
Trefoil Solitaire
Fan solitaire
La Belle Lucie with the four aces already up: sixteen fans of three, same-suit downward moves, and two reshuffles.
Flower Garden Solitaire
Open bouquet builder
Build ace-up suit foundations from six flower beds and a visible 16-card bouquet reserve.
Cruel Solitaire
Ordered redeal builder
Build same-suit piles downward, grow ace-up foundations, and use unlimited no-shuffle deals to regroup the tableau.
Bristol Solitaire
Fan-family reserve builder
A friendly fan-style game with eight three-card fans, three reserve piles, and rank-only building that ignores suit.
Forty Thieves Solitaire
Two-deck builder
A strict two-deck game with ten tableau columns, same-suit building, one-card moves, and a one-pass stock.
Sixty Thieves Solitaire
Three-deck builder
A triple-deck Forty Thieves-family challenge with twelve columns, twelve foundations, and no redeal.
Limited Solitaire
Two-deck builder
A Forty Thieves-family game with twelve tableau columns, same-suit single-card moves, and a one-pass stock.
Maria Solitaire
Two-deck builder
Play the Thirty-six Card Tableau variant with nine columns, alternating-color builds, one-card moves, and no redeal.
Diplomat Solitaire
Two-deck row builder
Play the two-deck patience game with eight tableau rows, rank-only row building, one-card moves, and no redeal.
Batsford Solitaire
Two-deck Klondike builder
A demanding Klondike-family game with ten hidden-card columns, eight suit foundations, one king reserve, and no redeal.
Gargantua Solitaire
Two-deck Klondike builder
Play the large Double Klondike patience game with nine tableau columns, eight foundations, king-only spaces, and two stock passes.
Harp Solitaire
Two-deck Klondike builder
Play the four-pass Harp version with two decks, nine Klondike-style columns, eight foundations, and king-only spaces.
Brigade Solitaire
Raglan-family reserve builder
A one-deck open builder with aces already on the foundations, seven tableau piles, thirteen reserve cards, and no redeal.
Josephine Solitaire
Two-deck packet builder
A Forty Thieves-family game where same-suit descending sequences can move together through the tableau.
Miss Milligan Solitaire
Two-deck row-deal builder
Play the classic row-deal game with alternating-color sequences, king-only spaces, and a reserve that opens after the stock is empty.
Indian Solitaire
Two-deck different-suit builder
A Forty Thieves-family game with ten three-card columns, a hidden first row, and tableau builds on any different suit.
Algerian Solitaire
Two-deck reserve builder
A demanding patience game with six reserve piles, eight tableau depots, and ace-up plus king-down foundations.
Alhambra Solitaire
Two-deck waste builder
A two-deck game with eight reserve piles, wrapped same-suit waste moves, paired foundations, and two redeals.
Crescent Solitaire
Two-deck crescent builder
A two-deck foundation game with sixteen crescent piles, ace-up and king-down foundations, and three pile-rotating redeals.
Grandfather's Clock Solitaire
Clock foundation builder
Build twelve preset clock foundations by suit while using eight open tableau columns and any-card spaces to release buried ranks.
Calculation Solitaire
Interval foundation puzzle
A rank-sequence game where A, 2, 3, and 4 foundations build by calculated intervals while four waste piles hold the trouble cards.
Strategy Solitaire
Sir Tommy-family planner
Build four ace-up foundations while using eight waste piles to store cards without burying the ranks you need next.
Colorado Solitaire
Two-deck planner
Manage twenty storage piles while each suit builds in both directions, with aces rising and kings descending.
Royal Parade Solitaire
Two-deck parade builder
Build 24 court-card foundations from 2s, 3s, and 4s in an old English two-deck patience game.
Sultan Solitaire
Two-deck palace builder
Keep the King of Hearts fixed while the Divan feeds eight suit foundations that finish on queens.
Terrace Solitaire
Two-deck reserve builder
Choose the base rank yourself, then spend an eleven-card reserve that can only climb the foundations.
Picture Patience
Patriarchs-family planner
Start empty ace-up and king-down foundations from a 3x3 reserve, one waste, and one redeal.
Osmosis Solitaire
Rank-gated foundation game
Play the Treasure Trove patience game where foundation ranks filter downward from one suit row into the next.
Crazy Quilt Solitaire
Two-deck woven reserve
Play the quilt-pattern patience game with exposed short-edge cards, ace-up and king-down foundations, and one redeal.
Run builders (7)
There are no foundations. You assemble long sequences inside the tableau itself, and a completed run lifts off the board.
Spider Solitaire
Sequence builder
A ten-column sequence game where descending runs are built, stock rows add pressure, and complete king-to-ace runs clear.
Spiderette Solitaire
One-deck Spider cousin
Play the compact Spider relative with one deck, seven columns, stock rows, and four same-suit runs to clear.
Beetle Solitaire
Face-up Spider-family game
Play a two-deck open tableau game where mixed builds are legal, but only same-suit sequences move and clear.
Mrs. Mop Solitaire
Open Spider-family sorter
Sort thirteen face-up columns into eight suited king-to-ace runs with no stock, waste, or hidden cards.
Simple Simon Solitaire
Open Spider-family sorter
Play the one-deck open sequence game with ten columns, no stock, mixed builds, and suited packets to clear.
Scorpion Solitaire
Spider-like tableau
A tough same-suit sequence game where messy packets move freely and the three-card tail can sting.
Wasp Solitaire
Scorpion-family tableau
A more flexible Scorpion relative where any face-up card or packet can fill an empty column.
Matchers (5)
Clear the table by removing cards in pairs or sets chosen by value — totals of thirteen, matching ranks, or a higher card of the same suit.
Aces Up Solitaire
Discard solitaire
A fast four-pile game where lower exposed cards are removed when a higher card of the same suit is showing.
Pyramid Solitaire
Pairing game
A value puzzle where exposed cards leave in pairs that add to thirteen, while kings clear alone.
Giza Solitaire
Pyramid-family pairing
Clear a 28-card pyramid plus eight reserve columns by removing kings and exposed pairs that total thirteen.
Memory Solitaire
Rank-matching memory game
Flip a full deck of face-down cards, match same-rank pairs, and clear all 26 pairs by recall.
Monte Carlo Solitaire
Adjacent rank-pair game
Remove touching same-rank pairs from a 5x5 grid, then watch the tableau compact and refill from the stock.
Sequence clearers (3)
Peel cards off the board one rank up or down, building a single long chain onto a waste pile. Short games, decided by how long your runs are.
Golf Solitaire
Up-or-down removal
A streaky one-deck game where each tableau card must sit one rank above or below the waste card.
TriPeaks Solitaire
Up-or-down removal
A three-peak clearing game where exposed cards keep a run going one rank above or below the waste.
Accordion Solitaire
Compression puzzle
A compact folding game where piles move one or three spaces left by matching rank or suit.
Sorters, chains and oddities (7)
Games that arrange rather than build or remove: sliding cards into rank order, following a forced chain around a dial, or keeping score.
Bowling Solitaire
Scored placement solitaire
Fill numbered pin spaces in low-to-high order, send unplaceable cards to Ball 1 or Ball 2, and score ten frames.
Cribbage Solitaire
Scored cribbage patience
Build two four-card cribbage hands and one crib, reveal the starter, and chase a 101-plus total over four deals.
Kings in the Corners Solitaire
Cross-and-corners shedding solitaire
Play the one-player corners game with a seven-card hand, king-only corner starts, alternating-color builds, and whole-pile moves.
Gaps Solitaire
Gaps-family sorter
Play the ace-removed space puzzle where gaps ask for exact cards and three stuck-board reshuffles preserve real progress.
Addiction Solitaire
Gaps and spaces puzzle
A face-up sorting game where aces become gaps, rows build from 2 to king by suit, and reshuffles are scarce.
Montana Solitaire
Gaps-family sorter
A stricter gap puzzle where aces make spaces, rows build 2 to king by suit, and only two stuck-board redeals remain.
Clock Patience
Clock-face patience
Follow ranks around a thirteen-pile clock, place kings in the center, and try to reveal every card before the fourth king.
Planned (0)
A card becomes a link only when there is a real page behind it: a playable game, exact rules, and notes on the version used.