Step-by-Step Visual Setup: How to Deal and Play Classic Klondike Solitaire
By Alexander Ross
The remaining 24 cards form the stockpile. Square this stack neatly and set it face down in the upper-left corner above your tableau. Directly to its right, leave an open space for the waste pile, where you will place cards drawn from the stock.
Across the top right, leave room for four separate stacks known as foundation piles. These four zones represent your ultimate goal. Each foundation belongs to one specific suit, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, or Clubs. When an Ace appears anywhere in the visible tableau or the waste pile, move it immediately into one of these four empty foundation slots.
Foundations follow an unbending aces to kings build sequence. You cannot place a 2 of Hearts on a foundation until the Ace of Hearts sits underneath it. You cannot jump ranks or swap suits. The stack must rise card by card: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, and finally King. When all four foundations hold their respective Kings, you have cleared all 52 cards and won the game.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
