how to play klondike solitaire — Cascade

Klondike is the version of solitaire most people picture when they hear the word: seven columns, four foundations, and a stock you draw from. Cascade is free, needs no account, and installs nothing — and unlike a shuffled deck at your kitchen table, every deal here is guaranteed winnable, so effort is always rewarded.

What is this?

This is a free game of klondike solitaire you play in your browser. It offers the two classic modes — draw 1 and draw 3 — with a timer, a move counter, a per-mode best time and a win streak, plus a shareable result card. There are no accounts, no downloads, and nothing you type: it is just you, the cards, and a calm table. Every deal is checked to be solvable before you ever see it, so you never lose to a dead board.

The board

There are four areas. The tableau is the seven columns in the main play area, dealt with one, two, three… up to seven cards, only the bottom card of each column face-up. The foundations are the four slots you are building up, one per suit, from Ace to King. The stock is the face-down pile you draw from, and the waste is where drawn cards land face-up.

How to play

Play proceeds one move at a time:

• Build the tableau down in alternating colours. Place a red card on a black card one rank higher, or a black on a red — for example a red 6 onto a black 7. You can move a whole face-up run at once.
• Build the foundations up by suit. Start each with its Ace, then add 2, 3, 4… of the same suit, all the way to King.
• Fill an empty column with a King. Only a King (or a run headed by a King) may move into a column you have emptied.
• Draw from the stock when you are stuck — one card in draw 1, three in draw 3. When the stock runs out, tap it to recycle the waste and go again; redeals are unlimited.
• Tap to move, double-tap to send home. Tap a face-up card to lift it and the legal spots light up; tap a spot to drop it. Double-tap a card to send it straight to its foundation. Undo is unlimited.
• Stuck? Tap Hint. The Hint button lights up the strongest next move — favouring the play that flips a face-down card — so you can see the way forward without being handed the whole solution. It only points; you still make the move.

You win when all 52 cards reach the foundations. Once every card is face-up, an Auto-finish button appears to flush the rest home for you.

Tips

• Play aces and twos up immediately — they are never useful in the tableau.
• After that, hold cards back: sending a card to a foundation too early can strand the card that needed to sit on it.
• Always prefer the move that flips a face-down card. Uncovering hidden cards is how you actually make progress.
• Only empty a column when you have a King ready to move into it.
• Make every board move before you draw — a new tableau play can change what your next draw is worth.
• Stuck? Tap Hint for the strongest move, or use Undo to back up and try the branch you skipped. The winning line is always there, because the deal is guaranteed solvable.

FAQ

Is it free? Yes, completely free and supported by ads. There is nothing to buy.

Do I need an account? No. There is no sign-up and no login. Your best times, streaks and current game are saved only in your own browser.

Is every game really winnable? Yes. Each deal is drawn from a set our own solver certified as solvable, so you can always dig out with good play.

What is the difference between draw 1 and draw 3? Draw 1 turns one card at a time and is more forgiving; draw 3 turns three at once and only the top is playable, which is harder. See our strategy page for more.

Does my progress sync between devices? No — because nothing is uploaded, your stats live on the device you played on and are lost if you clear browser data.