Yukon with a stricter rule: every column builds down in the same suit. Any face-up card can still move with everything on top of it, so plan where each card can land.
How to Play Russian Solitaire
Russian Solitaire is Yukon with one rule made stricter. The deal is the same and you can still move any face-up card with everything on top of it, but the columns must be built down in the same suit instead of alternating colors. That one change turns a friendly game into one of the toughest one-deck classics.
The Objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, one for each suit. Each foundation is built up in suit, from Ace to King.
The Setup
One standard deck is dealt into seven columns. The first column gets a single face-up card. The other six get face-down cards, one in the second column, two in the third and so on up to six in the seventh, with five face-up cards on top of each. There is no stock: every card is on the table from the start.
Moving Cards
- Columns build down in the same suit: the 7 of hearts can go on the 8 of hearts, and on no other 8.
- You can pick up any face-up card, and every card on top of it comes along, in order or not. Only the card you pick up has to fit.
- When a face-down card is uncovered, it turns face up on its own.
- An empty column can only be filled by a King, together with whatever is on top of it.
The Foundations
Move each Ace to a foundation once it is free, then build on it in suit. You can move the top card of a foundation back onto the tableau if you need it there. Once every card is face up and each column runs in order, the Auto-finish button sends everything home.
Russian Solitaire Strategy Tips
- Every card has one landing spot. In Yukon a black 6 can go on either red 7. Here the 6 of spades can only go on the 7 of spades. Before you move, find where that one card is and what it would take to free it.
- Turn over face-down cards first. The 21 hidden cards are the only unknowns. Given a choice, make the move that reveals one, above all in the right-hand columns, where most of them are.
- Get the Aces and 2s out early. A low card buried under a pile of strangers is the usual way a game of Russian Solitaire is lost. Moves that free an Ace or 2 are worth more than tidy columns.
- Keep the first column in mind. It starts with one card, so it is the easiest column to empty. An empty column is the only place a King can go, and moving a King off face-down cards is often the turning point.
- Carry big stacks when it helps. Because the cards on top come along, one move can shift half a column. Use that to uncover a face-down card, even if the stack you move is out of order.
- Use Undo to test ideas. Undo is unlimited, so you can try a plan and back out if it goes nowhere. Restart lets you replay a deal you lost.
Playing on Solitaire Parlor
Tap or click a card to send it to the best legal spot, trying the foundations first, or drag and drop it where you want it. Any cards on top of it move with it.
- Undo takes back as many moves as you like, and Hint highlights a useful move.
- Restart replays the same deal. New Game deals a new numbered deal; add ?deal= and the number to the end of the page link to replay or share it.
- Yukon and Russian, next to the title, switch between the two games.
- Daily Deal gives everyone the same deal each day, and Stats shows your games, wins, best time and streaks.
- Settings changes the table color and card backs, turns on four-color suits, switches sounds on or off, and can start a numbered deal.
Your game and stats are saved in your own browser automatically. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
About Russian Solitaire
Russian Solitaire belongs to the Yukon family and appears in American card-game books of the twentieth century under the same name. Nobody is sure where the name comes from; the game has no known link to Russia. It is the natural next step for players who win Yukon often and want a harder puzzle.
Turning on four-color suits in Settings helps a lot in this game, since every move depends on matching suits rather than colors.
Russian Solitaire FAQ
Is Russian Solitaire free to play?
Yes. Play it in your web browser with a mouse or touchscreen. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
How is Russian Solitaire different from Yukon?
Only in how the columns are built: Russian Solitaire builds down in the same suit, Yukon in alternating colors. The deal and every other rule are the same.
Can every game be won?
No. Many deals can't be won however well you play, and you should expect to win far fewer games than in Yukon.
Can I move cards that are not in order?
Yes. Pick up any face-up card and everything on top of it moves too. Only the card you pick up has to fit the card you put it on.