Play Gaps Solitaire Online - The Spatial Card Puzzle
Gaps Solitaire, also known as Montana or Spaces, works nothing like Klondike. You never stack cards in this game; instead you slide them into the holes left behind by the missing Aces. The goal is four tidy rows, one for each suit, and because every card is dealt face up you can see the whole puzzle from the first move.
How to Play Gaps Solitaire
Goal: Build four complete rows, each containing a single suit arranged in order from the 2 up to the King.
Game Setup
- The deal: All 52 cards go face up in 4 rows of 13
- The gaps: The four Aces then come out. That leaves four holes, called gaps
- Row length: The Aces are out of play. So a full row runs 2 to King, which is 12 cards
- Redeals: You get 2 redeals. You may use one only when no move is left
Movement Rules
- Look at the card immediately to the left of a gap, because the gap will accept only the next card up in that same suit
- Example: the gap right of the 6 of spades takes only the 7 of spades
- A gap in the first column takes any 2. That is how a row starts
- A gap right of a King is dead. No card can ever fill it
- A gap right of another gap is dead too
How to Move Cards Here
- Click or tap a card. If one gap fits it, the card slides straight there
- A 2 may fit more than one row start, in which case the card lights up and you tap whichever gap you want
- You can also tap a green gap. The card that fits will fly in
- Undo is free and unlimited. Use it to test an idea
How Redeals Work
A redeal rescues a stuck board without throwing away the progress you have already made. Here is exactly what happens:
- Each row keeps the run it has built from its 2
- All the other cards are gathered and shuffled
- The row's gap moves to the slot right after the kept run
- The shuffled cards fill the rest of the row
A redeal never disturbs the runs you have already finished, so your best work is always safe.
Winning Strategy Tips
- Work from the left. Lock the low cards into place before chasing the high ones
- Watch the Kings. A King kills the gap immediately to its right, so try to park Kings at the end of a row
- Think before you fill. Filling one gap immediately opens another gap somewhere else on the board
- Pick row starts with care. Placing a 2 in the first column permanently fixes the suit of that entire row
- Save your redeals. You are given only two, so exhaust every available move before spending one
Is Gaps Solitaire Hard?
Yes, Gaps is genuinely hard, because every move you make opens a fresh gap somewhere else and a promising chain can dead-end within a few cards. The two redeals improve your chances considerably, but planning several moves ahead matters far more than luck.
Why Play Gaps Solitaire?
- A different game - No stacks and no foundations
- Open board - Every card is face up from the start
- Simple rules - One rule covers nearly every move
- Free to play - Right in your browser
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Aces removed?
The Aces are what create the gaps, so removing them leaves four holes to work with. That is also the reason each completed row runs from the 2 up to the King rather than from the Ace.
Can I put a card next to a King?
No, because a King is the highest card in a row and nothing can follow it. The gap to its right stays permanently dead until that King is moved somewhere else.
What happens when I redeal?
Your finished runs stay exactly where they are, while every other card is shuffled and dealt back into the rows. Each row's gap then lands in the slot immediately after the run it kept.
Is every deal winnable?
No, some deals lock up even when you play well, though the two redeals give you extra chances to recover. Once your redeals are gone, the game ends as soon as no run of moves can settle another card into sequence. That can happen while cards are still legal to slide, so you are told at once instead of shuttling twos between row starts to find out.
What is the difference between Gaps and Montana?
They belong to the same family, and different books call it Montana, Spaces or Addiction. The rules on this page follow the classic Gaps version, which allows two redeals.
Ready for a different kind of solitaire? Play Gaps now.