Play Kingsley Solitaire Online — Klondike Turned Upside Down

Kingsley is Klondike with every direction reversed. The deal is Klondike's — seven columns of one to seven cards with only the top of each turned — and so is the stock, turned one card at a time in a single pass. But the four foundations start with a king and build down to the ace, the tableau builds up in alternating colours, and only an ace may fill an empty column. Bank all 52 cards to win.

Setup

Shuffle one deck. Deal seven columns of one to seven cards, the top card of each face up and the rest hidden. The remaining twenty-four cards form the stock. The four foundations start empty and wait for kings.

Rules

• Foundations start with a king and build down in suit: K, Q, J … A.
• Tableau builds up in alternating colours: a black nine on a red eight.
• Runs travel. A packed upward run moves as a unit.
• Only an ace may enter an empty column.
• Turning up: when a column's face-up cards leave, the hidden card beneath is turned.
• Stock: one card a turn to the waste; the top waste card is in play. No redeal.
• Win when all four foundations run from king to ace.

Strategy

Everything you know about Klondike still applies once you swap the ranks in your head: aces are the new kings and kings are the new aces. What does not carry over is the stock — one pass, with no second look, makes Kingsley the luck-heavy game its catalogue rating admits.

• Bank kings and queens at once. They are this game's aces and twos: nothing on the board needs them as a host, and a foundation that starts late finishes late.
• Never bury an ace. An ace is the only card that opens a column, and it is the last card its foundation wants. Get aces into spaces early and build up on them.
• Prefer the reveal. Twenty-one cards are hidden. A move that turns one is worth more than a move that lengthens a run.
• Turn the stock last. A card passed in the waste is buried for the rest of the game. Exhaust the tableau before each turn.
• Watch the low cards. A two is the second-last card of its suit to bank; a two sitting under a long upward run is a suit that cannot finish. Keep twos and threes on top where you can.
• Read the waste's top before turning. If it has a host, play it; the card beneath may be the one you need.

Where It Sits in the Klondike Family

Kingsley is Klondike with its foundations turned round, the first member of the catalogue's down-foundation line. Double Kingsley plays it on two decks; Lafayette and Wheatsheaf build half their foundations down and half up on other engines.

Other Games to Try

• Klondike — the original, foundations up from the ace
• Double Kingsley — the same on two decks
• Wheatsheaf — half the foundations down, rows up or down
• Westcliff — Klondike with one pass and open spaces

About This Version

Kingsley runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install it as an app on your phone or computer and it works offline. You get unlimited undo, a hint button that names a legal move, statistics that track your wins and times, and seeded deals: every game has a seed you can replay, so a board you enjoyed (or lost) can be played again exactly.