Frequently asked questions about Solitaire Klondike
Are all Solitaire deals winnable?
No. According to Wikipedia, even when the locations of all cards are known, about 81.942% of deals can be won with three-card draw (Blake and Gent’s estimate, 2019). The app does not tell you whether a deal is winnable; the deals on the Examples page each have a winning game verified action by action.
Drawing one card or three: what's the difference?
With Draw 1, each card in the stock reaches the waste in turn and can be played. With Draw 3, the app turns over three cards at a time, and only the top one can be played: the others must wait until it has been played. The same deal was won in 134 actions with Draw 1 (KL1-D1N-AAAAAA5) and in 114 with Draw 3 (KL1-D3N-AAAAAA5).
How does Vegas mode work?
The score starts at -$52, and each card placed on a foundation earns $5; nothing else counts. Only one pass through the stock is allowed: the waste cannot be recycled, whether playing Draw 1 or Draw 3. A game won without taking any cards back from a foundation therefore ends at +$208.
What does the game code mean?
The code, for example KL1-D1N-AAAAAAG, identifies a specific deal. D1 or D3 indicates the draw setting, N or V indicates Normal or Vegas scoring, and the last 7 characters identify the shuffle. In the New Game window, choose “Load a game using a code” and paste it: you get the same deal on any device.
What can be placed on an empty column?
Only a king, alone or with the cards stacked on it. Any other card is rejected, even if moving it would uncover a face-down card. That is why you should avoid emptying a column without having a king ready to move into it.
Why don't cards go up to the foundations on their own?
In the app, no cards move to the foundations on their own, and the game does not finish automatically: you stay in control until the end. Tapping a top card sends it to its foundation when possible. Two quick taps also look for a place on the tableau.
How many points does a game earn in Normal mode?
A card placed on a foundation earns 10 points, a card turned face up earns 5, and a card moved from the waste to the tableau earns 5; each pass recycling the waste deducts 100 points, without taking the score below zero. The 52 cards on the foundations and the 21 cards turned face up already account for 625 points in any game won without taking cards back from a foundation. The game on the Examples page ends with 590 points.
Can you undo a move or take a card back from a foundation?
Yes to both. The app keeps the last 100 actions, and undoing also removes the points from the undone move. You can also drag the top card of a foundation back to the tableau without gaining or losing points: this is a feature specific to this app.