Klondike (draw 3), deal #5

Rated steady, deal #5 is a middling deal for this series. It is winnable: the solver's line takes 84 moves.

Notes on this deal

• 1 Ace lies uncovered at the end of a column, ready to go home with your first move.
• One Ace is buried four or more cards deep: column 5 holds it under 4 cards. Dig there early.
• On the first pass through the stock you can reach 8 cards, none of them an Ace. The rhythm will have to change before the Aces turn up.
• A King already sits at the head of a column, so that column never needs emptying.
• 3 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, 29 of 52 cards home, and then the deal asks for a plan.

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	7♦	column 5	8♣, column 2
2	8♣ +1	column 2	9♦, column 1
3	4♥	column 3	5♠, column 6
4	6♠	column 3	7♦, column 1
5	J♥	column 5	Q♠, column 7
6	Q♠ +1	column 7	K♦, column 5

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.

How to play Klondike → · Play a random Klondike deal →