About Klondike
Named after a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada, Klondike became popular during the Yukon Gold Rush of 1896 and has remained a favorite ever since.
Although it's sometimes known as Canfield, and both games play in a similar manner, Klondike is a distinct game.
Klondike-style games have four elements in common:
- Tableau Stacks
- Formed from a combination of face-down and face-up cards
- Deck
- Filled at the start of the game with any remaining cards
- Wastepile
- Cards are dealt to here from the Deck, and
- Foundation Piles
- Cards are added here to win the game
To Win
The goal of Klondike-style games is to build each Foundation Pile in ascending value from Ace to King, with all cards in a Pile sharing the same suit.
e.g. A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K (all Diamonds)
Foundation Rules
Only 1 card at a time may be played to (or from) a Foundation Pile.
Building within the Tableau
The Tableau Stacks are used to manage the cards so that they can eventually be moved to the Foundation Piles. Only face-up cards are playable.
Sequences of cards in descending value can be built within the Tableau. (e.g. Q-J-10-9-8-7)
A single card or a sequence can be moved from one Tableau Stack to another, as long as the above rules are followed.
Only a King, or a group of cards headed by a King, can be placed on an empty Tableau Stack.
Dealing
Clicking on the Deck will deal up to three cards at a time to the Wastepile. When empty, the Deck can be restocked any number of times, providing more opportunities for you to play those cards.
Keyboard Shortcut: spacebar
Moving Cards from the Wastepile
The front-most card in the Wastepile can be played to either the Foundation Piles or the Tableau Stacks, as long as the above building rules are followed.
Keyboard Shortcut: enter or return
Double Klondike
An easier version of Classic Klondike using two packs of cards for longer games. This game has a high win rate and is very satisfying!
The Deck can be restocked any number of times.
Gargantua
This version of Double Klondike was invented by Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith.
Uses two packs of cards.
One card at a time can be dealt from the Deck to the Wastepile.
The Deck can be restocked any number of times.
Single Card Klondike
An easier version of Classic Klondike, with only one card per deal.
The Deck can be restocked any number of times.
Westcliff
An easy, winnable version of Classic Klondike, with only one card per deal.
Build the Tableau Stacks in descending value in alternating colors.
Empty Tableau stacks can be filled by any card or sequence.
When empty, the Deck cannot be restocked.