How to Play Solitaire: Klondike vs Spider vs FreeCell, Plus Mahjong

To play solitaire, you sort a shuffled deck into ordered piles by moving one card or run at a time under a few fixed rules. Klondike, Spider and FreeCell all share that goal, but they differ in how many cards you can see and where you can park them. On Totally Science you can play all three, plus a tile version called Mahjong Solitaire, free in a browser tab.

The Basics All Card Solitaire Shares

Every card solitaire uses the same few terms.

• Tableau: the columns of cards in the middle, where most moves happen.
• Foundations: the piles where you build each suit from Ace up to King. Klondike and FreeCell have four.
• Stock: the face-down cards you have not dealt yet. FreeCell has none.
• Run: a stack of cards in falling order, such as 9, 8, 7.

In all three card games, you click or tap a card, then tap where it should go. No dragging is needed.

Klondike: The Classic Version

Klondike Solitaire deals 28 cards into seven columns. Only the bottom card of each is face up. The other 24 cards form the stock.

In the columns, you build down in alternating colors, so a black 6 goes on a red 7. An empty column only takes a King. When you uncover a face-down card, it flips over on its own.

Tap the stock to turn one card onto the waste. When it runs out, tap again to turn the waste back over in the same order, as often as you like.

Klondike Tips for Beginners

Before you draw, look for moves on the board. Flipping a hidden card is almost always worth more than a new stock card. Do not empty a column unless a King is ready to fill it, since nothing else can go there.

Spider: Two Decks and Ten Columns

Spider Solitaire uses 104 cards. Fifty-four go into ten columns, and the other 50 sit in a stock. Each tap on the stock adds one card to every column, and you get five of those deals.

The goal is eight full runs from King down to Ace, each in one suit. A finished run leaves the table by itself. Any single card can sit on a card one rank higher, even in a different suit. A stack only moves as one piece when it is in order and all one suit.

You can choose one, two or four suits. Two is the default. One suit is the gentlest start, and four is a big step up.

Spider Tips for Beginners

Try to stack cards of the same suit, because mixed stacks can only move one card at a time later. Use every move you can find before dealing, since a deal covers all ten columns. The game will not deal while a column is empty, so fill it first.

FreeCell: Every Card Face Up

FreeCell Solitaire deals all 52 cards face up into eight columns. Above them sit four free cells, each able to hold one card, and four foundations.

Columns build down in alternating colors, like Klondike, but any card can go in an empty column, not just a King.

The tricky rule is how many cards you can move at once. It depends on your open space: add one to the number of empty free cells, then double it for each empty column you are not moving into. With no free space at all, only one card can move.

FreeCell Tips for Beginners

Find all four Aces first and count the cards covering each. Treat free cells as a short-term loan, because each card you park there shrinks the next run you can carry. An empty column is worth more than a free cell, since it doubles your limit.

Mahjong Solitaire: The Tile Variant

Mahjong Solitaire swaps cards for 144 tiles piled in a layered shape. You remove matching pairs, but only tiles that are free: nothing on top, and a clear left or right side. Flowers match any flower, and seasons match any season.

There are six boards, from Terraces (Gentle) to Spider (Expert). Each deal is built backward from a cleared board, so it can always be finished. Hint, Undo and Shuffle help when you are stuck, but each one lowers your score.

Mahjong Tips for Beginners

Work from the ends of each row toward the middle, and clear tall stacks early. When three copies of a tile are open, take the pair that frees the most tiles.

Klondike vs Spider vs FreeCell at a Glance

The details below come from each game’s rules and settings on our site.

Game	Difficulty	Luck vs skill	Typical length	What you can undo
Klondike	Short rules, draw one card at a time	Hidden cards add luck, and some deals cannot be won	Short or long, and you can pause anytime	Any number of moves in a session
Spider	Pick 1, 2 or 4 suits	Hidden cards and deals add luck	One suit fits a short break, four suits takes a long stretch	Moves and stock deals, with no limit in a session
FreeCell	Simple rules, but planning takes practice	Mostly skill, since every card is visible	Any length, and you can pause	One move at a time, as far back as you need
Mahjong Solitaire	Six boards, Gentle to Expert	Mostly skill, and every deal can be cleared	A gentle board goes quickly, expert boards take longer	Your last pairs, one at a time, for a score cost

A few honest notes on undo and saving:

1. In Klondike, Spider and FreeCell, your current layout is saved in the browser, but the undo history starts fresh after a reload.
2. In Mahjong Solitaire, a board in progress is not saved, and using Shuffle clears the undo history for that board.
3. Saved games live in your browser, so deleting browsing data in Chrome can erase them.

Which Solitaire Should You Start With?

If you have never played, start with Klondike. Its rules are short, and the game tells you when a move is not allowed. Like every game on Totally Science, it needs no account or download.

If you prefer planning to luck, try FreeCell.

For a longer challenge, play Spider and raise the suit count as you improve. For a break from cards, try Mahjong Solitaire.

Where to Find These Games

All three card games are in our board and card games section, and Mahjong Solitaire sits with the puzzle games. If you need help with a school laptop, our guide on playing games on a school Chromebook covers full screen and touchpad tips.

For faster rounds, see our list of unblocked arcade games for school breaks too. You can also browse every game on Totally Science when you are ready for something new.