Klondike (draw 1), deal #17

Deal #17 is among the hardest deals in this series. Our solver won it in a line of 128 moves, so it can certainly be won.

Notes on this deal

• 3 of the Aces are in the stock, so an early pass through it pays off.
• A King already sits at the head of a column, so that column never needs emptying.
• 2 Kings are face down. Buried Kings can only leave for an empty column; plan for the space they will need.
• Obvious moves take you some of the way, 13 of 52 cards home, and then the deal asks for a plan.
• The solver's line turns the stock 73 times.
• At one point the solver moves a run of 5 cards in one go.

Stuck? The solver's first moves

These are the first moves of the solver's winning line, with automatic moves to the foundations switched on.

#	Card	From	To
1	2♠	column 5	3♥, column 7
2	9♠	column 2	10♥, column 5
3	J♥	column 6	Q♠, column 4
4	Turn the stock 3 times
5	3♣	column 1	4♦, column 3
6	K♥	waste	empty column 1

Klondike in a nutshell

Build four foundations by suit from Ace to King. In the seven columns build down in alternating colours, move ordered runs together and fill empty columns only with Kings. Turn the stock as often as you like.

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