Yukon Solitaire Rules: How to Play Yukon

If you know classic solitaire, you already know most of Yukon. The columns look the same, the four piles you build at the top are the same, and red still goes on black. Two things are different, and they change the whole feel of the game. There is no deck to turn over, because every card is on the table from the first move. And you are allowed to pick up a whole untidy heap of cards at once, as long as the bottom card of the heap has somewhere to go.

This page explains the Yukon Solitaire rules from start to finish, with small worked examples. These are the standard rules, and they are the rules our free Yukon Solitaire game uses.

What You Need

• One standard deck of 52 playing cards, with the jokers taken out.
• A table with room for seven long columns of cards and four piles above them.
• A little patience. Yukon rewards looking carefully before you move.

The Layout

The deal has two parts. The first part is exactly the deal for classic solitaire.

1. Deal seven columns, left to right. The first column gets 1 card, the second 2 cards, the third 3, and so on up to 7 cards in the seventh column. In each column, only the last card is face up. That uses 28 cards.
2. Now deal the other 24 cards face up, four onto each of columns 2 to 7. The first column gets no more cards.

When you finish, the table looks like this:

That is all 52 cards: 21 face down and 31 face up. Overlap the cards in each column so you can read every face-up card. There is no stock pile and nothing left in your hand.

Above the columns, leave space for four piles called the foundations. They start empty.

The Goal

Move all 52 cards onto the four foundations. Each foundation holds one suit and is built up in order: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King. When all four Kings are on top of their piles, you have won.

Moving Cards in the Columns

What fits on what

A card may be placed on the last card of a column (the one nothing is covering) if it is one rank lower and the opposite color. Hearts and diamonds are red; spades and clubs are black.

• A red 6 goes on a black 7.
• A black Queen goes on a red King.
• A red 6 does not go on a red 7, and does not go on a black 8.

So far this is just like classic solitaire. Here comes the Yukon part.

Any face-up card can be moved, with everything on top of it

In classic solitaire you can only pick up cards that are neatly in order. In Yukon, you may pick up any face-up card, anywhere in a column. Every card lying on top of it comes with it as one group. Those cards do not have to be in order, or match in any way. The only thing that matters is the card you picked up, the one at the bottom of the group: it must fit the card you are moving it onto.

This is what makes Yukon feel so free. The card you need is often sitting in the middle of a column, and you can simply reach in and take it, baggage and all.

Face-down cards

Face-down cards cannot be moved or looked at. When you move away all the face-up cards in a column, the last face-down card is uncovered. Turn it face up. It is now in play like any other card. Turning over these 21 hidden cards is the main work of the game.

Empty columns

When a column has no cards left, it becomes an empty space. Only a King may be moved into an empty column, and as always, any cards on top of that King come along with it. If you have no King you can reach, the space stays empty for now.

Building the Foundations

Whenever an Ace is the last card of a column, move it up to start a foundation. After that, the 2 of the same suit can go on it when that 2 is the last card of a column, then the 3, and so on.

• Only the last card of a column can go to a foundation, one card at a time.
• Each foundation holds a single suit, in order from Ace to King.
• In our game, a card that has gone to a foundation stays there. (Some players allow taking it back; see the variations page.)

A Sample Opening

Here is how the first few moves of a game might go. Suppose three of the columns end like this:

• Column 1: just the Q♠.
• Column 4: three face-down cards, then 8♦, J♥, 3♣, K♠, 5♥.
• Column 6: five face-down cards, then 2♦, 9♣, A♥, 6♠, 4♣.

1. The J♥ in column 4 is a red Jack, and column 1 ends with a black Queen. Pick up the J♥. The 3♣, K♠ and 5♥ come with it. Column 1 is now Q♠, J♥, 3♣, K♠, 5♥, and column 4 ends with the 8♦.
2. The 4♣ at the end of column 6 fits on the 5♥ that now ends column 1. Move it over. Column 6 now ends with the 6♠.
3. Nothing takes the 6♠ yet, so look for a red 7. Later, when the 6♠ moves, the A♥ under it will be free to go to its foundation.
4. Meanwhile, the 8♦ at the end of column 4 is the last face-up card there. If a black 9 turns up at the end of a column, the 8♦ can move onto it and a face-down card in column 4 will turn over.

Notice how each move is chosen for what it uncovers, not for how tidy it looks. Columns in Yukon stay messy for most of the game, and that is fine.

Winning and Getting Stuck

You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. In our game, once every card is face up and the rest can simply be sent up one after another, the game finishes itself.

You are stuck when no move does any good: every face-up card either has nowhere to go or would only shuffle between two equally good spots. There is no stock to fall back on. At that point you can Undo and try a different line, restart the deal, or deal again.

Can every deal be won?

No. Some Yukon deals cannot be won no matter how well you play. For instance, a low card may be locked face down beneath the very cards that need it. Our deals are shuffled at random and are not filtered, so you will meet a hopeless one now and then. Most deals give a careful player a real chance, and your win rate will climb as you learn where to look.

Is There Scoring?

Yukon has no official score. You either get all the cards up or you don't. Our game counts your moves and, if you switch the timer on, your time, and it keeps a tally of games played, games won and your best winning streak. If you want a way to measure a lost game, count the cards you got onto the foundations.

Helpful Features in Our Game

• Tap to move. Tap any face-up card and it goes to the best place, along with the cards on top of it: a foundation if it can, otherwise a column. If two columns fit, they are marked so you can choose.
• Drag and drop. If you prefer, drag cards where you want them.
• It tells you why not. Tap a card that can't move and the game says what it is waiting for, such as "a black 8 at the end of a column".
• Auto-move to foundations. On by default. Cards that are safe to put up go there on their own. You can switch it off in Settings.
• Hint. Points to a useful move with a short reason. If nothing helps, it says so.
• Undo, Restart and New Game. Unlimited undo, or start the same deal over.
• Deal numbers. Every deal has a number. Type it in Settings to replay a deal or share it with a friend.
• Comfort options. Four-color cards (so each suit has its own color), reduced motion, and automatic saving.

Yukon Solitaire Rules at a Glance

New to solitaire in general? Start with Klondike, the classic game, and its rules. If you enjoy games where nothing is hidden, FreeCell deals every card face up. Once you have the Yukon rules down, our Yukon strategy guide will help you win more often, and the variations page covers Russian Solitaire and other relatives.