Yukon Solitaire Rules: How to Play and Win

Yukon Solitaire looks like Klondike at first glance: the same 7-column tableau, the same four foundation piles, the same goal of building Ace through King in each suit. But Yukon removes the stock pile entirely and adds one rule that changes everything. You can move any face-up card, along with every card on top of it, regardless of whether those cards form a proper sequence. That single difference makes Yukon a substantially more open game, and with good play the win rate approaches 70%.

How Yukon differs from Klondike

In Klondike, you can only move properly sequenced groups of cards: alternating colors, descending rank. A red 7 on a black 8, a black 6 on that red 7, and so on. You cannot move a random pile of face-up cards from one column to another unless they happen to form a valid sequence.

In Yukon, the restriction on moving groups is dropped completely. If a column has five face-up cards stacked in no particular order, you can pick up that entire stack and place it on any column whose exposed card is one rank higher and opposite color to the bottom card of the group you are moving. The cards in the middle of the group do not need to follow any sequence rule at all.

This is a powerful difference. It means buried cards are almost never truly stuck. Any face-up card can be moved out of the way as long as you have somewhere to put it, and any column can receive a disorganized stack as long as the placement card fits the target.

The trade-off is that Yukon has no stock pile. Every card is dealt onto the tableau at the start. There is no drawing from a reserve, no second chance if your columns get locked. You must work entirely with what you see.

Setup: the 7-column deal

Yukon uses a single standard 52-card deck. The deal is:

• Column 1: 1 card, face-up.
• Column 2: 1 face-down, 1 face-up (2 cards total, top face-up).
• Column 3: 2 face-down, 1 face-up (3 cards total).
• Column 4: 3 face-down, 1 face-up (4 cards total).
• Column 5: 4 face-down, 1 face-up (5 cards total).
• Column 6: 5 face-down, 1 face-up (6 cards total).
• Column 7: 6 face-down, 1 face-up (7 cards total).

That accounts for 28 cards. The remaining 24 cards are dealt face-up across columns 2 through 7, with 4 extra face-up cards added to each of those six columns. After the deal, columns 2 through 7 each have at least 5 face-up cards on top, with a small number of face-down cards underneath.

Legal moves

Moving a single card: Any exposed top card can move to a column where the top card is one rank higher and opposite color. A black 6 goes on a red 7. Suits do not matter beyond the color rule.

Moving a group: Any face-up card that is not at the very bottom of its column can be moved along with all cards above it. The placement rule applies only to the card at the bottom of the group being moved. That card must land on a card one rank higher and opposite color.

Kings to empty columns: When a column is cleared, only a King (with or without a stack above it) may fill the empty space.

Foundations: Foundations build up from Ace, in suit. Move cards to a foundation when they are the next card in sequence. You can move cards back from the foundation to the tableau in some digital implementations, but the standard physical rules do not allow it.

Flipping face-down cards: When all face-up cards are removed from a column, the top face-down card is flipped and becomes available.

Winning condition

The game is won when all 52 cards are moved to the four foundation piles, each built from Ace to King in its suit. Because Yukon has no stock pile, there is no recycling or redealing. If the tableau becomes completely locked, the game is lost.

Five strategy tips

1. 1

   Uncover face-down cards first

   Every face-down card represents hidden information. Your first priority should be revealing those cards, because a face-down card in the wrong column can block you completely. Prefer moves that flip face-down cards over moves that merely rearrange face-up cards.
2. 2

   Use group moves to create space, not just to sequence

   The group move rule is not just for tidying sequences. Move large face-up stacks to expose face-down cards beneath them, even if the resulting column looks messier than before. Temporarily disordered face-up cards can always be re-sorted. Permanently buried face-down cards cannot.
3. 3

   Treat empty columns as the scarcest resource

   An empty column can only receive a King. Empty columns are valuable staging areas, but they fill quickly. Before you clear a column, think about what King and its attached stack you will place there. Clearing a column and then filling it immediately with a low-value stack wastes the opportunity.
4. 4

   Build foundations evenly

   Avoid pushing one suit far ahead of the others. If Hearts are at 9 and Spades are at 3, the cards you need to continue the Spade foundation are probably buried under stacks you cannot easily move. Even foundation progress keeps all suits accessible.
5. 5

   Think backwards from where you need each Ace

   Before making any move, identify where your unplayed Aces are. Trace a path backward: what cards need to move before that Ace can reach the foundation? Often the blocking cards are accessible through group moves you have not yet considered. Planning 3 to 4 moves ahead around Ace positions reliably improves the win rate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move a group of cards that are not in sequence?

Yes. That is the defining rule of Yukon. Any face-up card and everything above it can be moved as a unit. The placement must be valid (one rank higher, opposite color) for the bottom card of the group, but the cards above it can be in any order.

Is there a stock pile in Yukon?

No. All 52 cards are dealt to the tableau at the start. There is no stock pile, no waste pile, and no redealing. You play entirely with the cards on the tableau.

What is the win rate in Yukon?

With skilled play, Yukon is winnable on roughly 70% of deals. This is substantially higher than Klondike's 30 to 50% rate. The higher win rate comes from the group move rule, which prevents the kind of hard locks that end Klondike games prematurely.

What happens when a column is empty?

An empty column can only be filled by a King. You can place a King alone or a King with any stack of face-up cards on top of it. Empty columns are valuable staging areas, so choose which King to place carefully.

How is Yukon different from Russian Solitaire?

Russian Solitaire uses the same group-move rule as Yukon but restricts tableau builds to same-suit sequences rather than alternating-color sequences. This makes Russian Solitaire considerably harder than Yukon, as you can only build on a card with the same suit, one rank higher.