Yukon

A relative of Klondike that deals all 52 cards to the tableau at once, with no stock pile and no waste pile. The twist: you can move any face-up card along with all the cards stacked on top of it, even if they don’t form a proper sequence. This freedom makes Yukon more tactical and forgiving than Klondike, while still requiring careful planning to win.

The Deal#

All 52 cards are dealt across seven tableau piles. The first pile gets one card (face-up), and the remaining six piles each receive a single face-down card (like Klondike) plus five additional face-up cards on top. This means piles 2 through 7 all have five face-up cards and one face-down card beneath them.

The Layout#

• Tableau: Seven piles of cards where you build sequences.
• Foundation: Four piles where you build each suit from Ace to King.

There is no stock or waste pile. Every card is on the tableau from the start.

Rules#

1. Building Foundations: Move Aces to the foundation area, then build up each foundation by suit in sequence: Ace, 2, 3, and so on up to King.
2. Building the Tableau: Place cards on tableau piles in descending order with alternating colors, the same as Klondike. For example, a black 8 can be placed on a red 9.
3. Moving Groups: Here’s what makes Yukon unique: you can pick up any face-up card and move it along with every card on top of it, regardless of whether those cards form a valid sequence. For example, if a red 7 has a black 3 and a red King sitting on top of it, you can move all three cards together onto a black 8.
4. Revealing Cards: When you move the last face-up card from a pile, the top face-down card is turned face-up.
5. Empty Columns: Only Kings (or groups headed by a King) may be placed in empty tableau spaces.
6. Single Cards: You can also move individual face-up cards, just like in Klondike.

Difficulty Levels#

Soliteur offers three difficulty levels that adjust how cards are dealt and which cards can fill empty spaces:

• Easy (Relaxed): All cards are dealt face-up, and any card can be placed in an empty column (not just Kings). The most forgiving way to play.
• Medium (All Face Up): All cards are dealt face-up, but only Kings can fill empty columns. You can see everything, but need to plan more carefully.
• Hard (Hidden Cards): The classic Yukon deal with face-down cards beneath each pile. Only Kings can fill empty columns. The most challenging version.

Strategy Tips#

• Uncover hidden cards first: Your top priority should be revealing the face-down cards in each pile. Every hidden card limits your options.
• Use group moves creatively: Moving an unordered group of cards isn’t wasted. It can expose a needed card or clear a path to a face-down card underneath.
• Don’t rush to the foundations: Keeping cards in the tableau gives you more flexibility for building sequences and moving groups.
• Plan for empty columns: Empty columns are valuable but restricted to Kings. Look ahead before clearing a pile, and make sure you have a King ready to use the space.
• Work from the longest piles: Piles with more face-down cards deserve attention first, since they hide the most potential moves.
• Build foundations evenly: As with other solitaire games, keeping your foundation piles at similar levels prevents situations where you need a card that’s already been built up.