World of AI Games
Solitaire: choose useful moves and understand hints
Learn how to uncover cards, use empty columns and interpret the hint assistant in our Klondike game.
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Give each move a purpose
The objective in Klondike is to move all 52 cards onto the four foundations, building each suit from Ace to King. On the tableau, sequences descend in alternating colours. Moving a card legally is only part of the decision: ask what becomes available after that move.
A useful early question is whether moving a face-up sequence will expose a face-down card. Revealing it adds information and can open a move you could not previously see. Moving the same visible cards between columns without revealing anything or creating a needed space may leave you no closer to a solution.
Plan an empty column before making one
Only a King, or a descending sequence beginning with a King, can move to an empty tableau column. Before you clear a column, look for the King you would put there and what that move would uncover. An empty column is valuable when it lets you reorganize a sequence or reveal a card, but it cannot hold any arbitrary card.
If two moves are available, compare their consequences. A move that frees a King covering hidden cards may create more options than moving an already exposed King at the bottom of a column. There is no universal rule that resolves every deal; use the cards actually visible on your board.
What the hint assistant actually checks
Our hint assistant first searches for a legal foundation move, considering lower-ranked cards first. If it does not find one, it checks tableau moves that uncover a face-down card, then moves from the waste pile onto the tableau. If stock or waste cards remain, it can suggest drawing again.
This is a move-priority system, not a solver that proves the deal can be won. A hint gives you an action to consider; it does not certify that the action is best over the entire game. If repeated draws lead back to the same situation, inspect the tableau and consider an earlier decision rather than assuming another hint will discover a new route.
Use Undo to compare decisions
Clicking or tapping a card asks the game to choose a legal destination. For a single card it checks the foundation first, then tableau destinations. On desktop, dragging lets you choose a destination directly when there is more than one useful placement.
Undo lets you revisit a decision. Compare what each branch reveals rather than simply repeating the same move. This is particularly helpful when a newly exposed card changes which sequence you want to develop. Drawing turns over one stock card at a time; when the stock runs out, it can be recycled.
Know when auto-finish becomes available
Auto-finish becomes available when the stock and waste are empty and every tableau card is face up. It repeatedly moves an eligible card to its foundation, preferring the lowest available rank. Before that point, you still need to uncover cards and work through the stock yourself.
Not every shuffled deal is guaranteed to be solvable. Reaching a blocked position is a reason to review your decisions or start another deal, rather than evidence that you missed a promised winning move. The local best-time record is kept in your current browser; clearing site data removes it.
Try it in the game
Open Solitaire AI and focus on one decision from this guide. The game instructions provide a quick reference for controls and rules.
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