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Solitaire Strategy: How to Win More Games

Turn over face-down cards first

The hidden cards in the seven columns are what block you. Given a choice, make the move that turns one over, and start with the column that has the most face-down cards.

Aces and twos go up at once

Aces and twos are no use in the columns, so move them to the foundations as soon as they appear. Higher cards are a different story: moving a card up too early can leave you without a place for the next lower card of the other colour.

Empty columns

Only a King can go into an empty column, so do not empty one unless you have a King ready to move there, ideally one with cards under it that you need to reach. When you have a choice of Kings, pick the one whose colour fits the Queen you can move next.

Use the deck wisely

  • Before turning a card from the deck, make every useful move in the columns.
  • With one card at a time and no limit on passes, you can cycle through the deck as often as you like, so there is no hurry to play a deck card that does not help.

Plan, then use Undo

Look a move or two ahead: which card will moving this one free up? If a line of play leads nowhere, Undo takes it back. Not every deal can be won, so a lost game is not always a mistake.

Play Solitaire; tap a card to move it to the best place it fits.

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