Are all Klondike games winnable?

No. Roughly 82% of Klondike deals are theoretically winnable with perfect play; the rest are unwinnable from the moment the cards are dealt. Skilled players actually win about 40% of Draw 1 games and 10–15% of Draw 3 games. Our solver tells you in real time whether your current position still has a solution.

What's the difference between Draw 1 and Draw 3?

Both modes use the same deals and the same ~82% theoretical winnability. Draw 1 flips one card at a time from the stock; Draw 3 flips three but lets you play only the top. The Draw 3 access pattern buries useful cards, so the practical win rate drops sharply even though the deals themselves are no harder.

How does the solver work?

It runs as a Web Worker entirely in your browser — no game data leaves your device. The solver explores the tree of legal moves from your current position. If a winning path exists, the indicator turns green. If not, it turns red and offers recovery options. A check usually completes in a few seconds.

Can I always start with a winnable game?

Yes. Pick "Deal Winnable" in the new-game menu and the solver chooses a seed with a known solution before dealing. Available in both Draw 1 and Draw 3. You'll never spend time on a deal that was doomed before your first move.

What happens if my game becomes unsolvable?

When the solver detects no winning path remains, a recovery panel appears with four options: undo to the last winnable position, undo a single move, restart the same deal, or deal a new winnable game. "Undo to Winnable" is the most useful — it lets you try a different line without losing all your progress.

Play Klondike Solitaire Free Online with Solver

Play Klondike Solitaire — Free, with a Built-in Solver

Klondike is the solitaire game most people picture when they hear the word: seven tableau columns, a stock pile, four foundations from Ace to King. About one in five deals is unwinnable from the moment the cards are dealt. Our version runs a solver in your browser that tells you whether your current position has a winning path — so you stop wasting time on impossible games. Play free on phone, tablet, or computer. Once the page loads, the game keeps working without internet.

How to Play Klondike

Goal: Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building each suit up from Ace to King.

Setup

Tableau: Seven columns. The first holds 1 card, the second 2, up to 7 in the seventh. Only the top card of each column starts face-up.
Stock: The remaining 24 cards, drawn one or three at a time depending on mode.
Waste: Where stock cards land face-up after you draw.
Foundations: Four empty piles, top-right. One per suit, built up from Ace to King.

Klondike starting layout: stock and waste top-left, four empty foundations top-right, and seven tableau columns of 1 to 7 cards with only the top card face-up — Klondike's seven tableau columns hold 1 to 7 cards. The stock and waste sit top-left; the four foundations sit top-right.

Rules

Build tableau columns down by alternating colors. A black 9 goes on a red 10.
Only Kings can fill an empty tableau column.
Foundations build up by suit, Ace to King.
Move properly ordered sequences as a group when the alternating-color rule holds.
You win when all four foundations are complete.

Draw 1 vs Draw 3: What's the Difference?

The two modes use the same deal, the same rules, and the same theoretical winnability. They differ in how you reach the stock pile.

Aspect	Draw 1	Draw 3
Stock draw	One card at a time	Three cards; only the top is playable
Theoretical win rate	~82%	~82% (same deals)
Practical win rate (skilled play)	~40%	~10–15%
Recommended for	Beginners, casual play	Traditional challenge

The win-rate gap comes from access. In Draw 3, useful cards often land in the middle of a triplet and stay buried unless you cycle the whole stock again. Same deal, harder to reach.

What's the Best Klondike Strategy?

Expose face-down cards first. A face-down card is information you don't have. Flipping it is almost always more valuable than sending a card to the foundation.
Move Aces and 2s up immediately. They serve no useful tableau role and free the cards above them.
Don't empty a column without a King ready. An empty column you can't fill is wasted leverage.
Don't rush past the 5s. A 4 sent to a foundation can no longer cover a 5. Mid-rank cards are often more useful in the tableau.
Cycle the stock before forcing a move. A draw you haven't tried may be the move that breaks the position open.

The Built-in Solver: Stop Playing Impossible Games

About one in five Klondike deals is unwinnable no matter how well you play. Without a solver you can spend ten minutes on a doomed game without knowing. Our solver runs entirely in your browser as a Web Worker — your moves never leave your device — and tells you in real time whether the current position still has a winning path.

Solver status icons in the Klondike toolbar: green checkmark for winnable, red X for unsolvable, gold spinner for analyzing, gray question mark for not yet checked — The solver status icon in the game toolbar: green = winnable, red = no solution, gold = analyzing, gray = not yet checked.

What the icon tells you

Green checkmark — A winning path exists from this position.
Red X — No winning path exists. A move you made (or the deal itself) closed the door. Click for recovery options.
Gold spinner — The solver is analyzing. Usually finishes in a few seconds.
Gray question mark — The solver hasn't checked yet. Click to run it.

Solver-powered features

Deal Winnable. Choose this in the new-game menu and the solver picks a seed with a known solution. Skip the impossible deals entirely.
Undo to Winnable. When the solver finds your game has become unsolvable, it offers to rewind to the last position that still had a solution. Try a different line without restarting.
Solvability check on demand. Click the indicator any time to run a fresh check after your latest moves.

About This Version

This Klondike runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install it as an app on your phone or computer and it works without internet. The browser-side solver, Deal Winnable, unlimited undo, daily challenge, and Draw 1 / Draw 3 toggle are all part of the standard build.

Other Solitaire Games to Try

FreeCell — almost every deal winnable; no luck of the draw
Spider — clear King-to-Ace runs across 10 columns
Yukon — Klondike-like, but every card face-up
Double Klondike — two decks, more elbow room
East Haven — Klondike with a Spider-style stock deal

For deeper strategy and the Wes Cherry / Windows 3.0 history, see our Klondike guide.