TriPeaks Solitaire

Play any uncovered card that is one higher or one lower than the waste card. Long chains clear the three peaks fast.

How to Play TriPeaks Solitaire

TriPeaks Solitaire, sometimes written Tri Peaks, is a quick game about building chains. You clear three overlapping peaks of cards by playing them onto a single waste pile, each card one rank higher or lower than the one before.

Objective

Clear all 28 cards from the three peaks before you run out of moves.

Setup

TriPeaks uses one standard 52-card deck. Twenty-eight cards are dealt into three overlapping peaks, in four rows of 3, 6, 9 and 10 cards. The 10 cards in the bottom row are face up, and the rest are face down. The other 24 cards form the stock, and one of them is turned over at the start to begin the waste pile.

Moves

• A card in the peaks is exposed when no other card overlaps it. At the start, that means the whole bottom row.
• Move any exposed card to the waste if it is exactly one rank higher or lower than the top waste card. Suit and color don't matter, so on a 7 you can play any 6 or any 8.
• Aces and Kings wrap around: a King can go on an Ace, and an Ace can go on a King.
• A face-down card flips over automatically once both cards overlapping it are gone.
• When you have no play, turn the next stock card onto the waste.

You go through the stock only once, and there is no redeal. If the stock is empty and no exposed card fits on the waste, there are no moves left.

TriPeaks Strategy Tips

The heart of good TriPeaks play is the chain: a string of plays made one after another without touching the stock. The longer your chains, the more stock cards you save for later, and the better your chance of clearing all three peaks.

1. Look for the longest chain, not the first play. Say the waste shows a 9 and you can see a 10, an 8, a 7 and a 6. Playing the 10 clears one card. Playing the 8, then the 7, then the 6 clears three, and the 10 is still there for later.
2. Turn face-down cards over when you can. Each card you reveal is a new chance to keep a chain going. If two 8s are exposed and only one is covering a face-down card, play that one.
3. Finish uncovering what you have started. A face-down card turns over only when both cards covering it are gone. If one is already cleared, playing the other reveals a card at once, so it is usually the stronger play.
4. Use the wrap-around. Because Aces and Kings connect, a chain can run Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 2 and keep going. A King or an Ace is never a dead end.
5. Make every play before you turn the stock. With only one pass, each stock card matters. Before you turn, check every exposed card against the waste. A King on an Ace is an easy play to miss.
6. Leave a mix of ranks showing. When two chains are about the same length, prefer the one that leaves different ranks exposed. If the cards left showing are a 4, a 9 and a Queen, six different ranks of stock card will connect. If they are three 4s, only 3s and 5s will.
7. Use Undo to compare chains. If two chains look equally good, try one, then use Undo to back up and try the other.

Playing TriPeaks on Solitaire Parlor

TriPeaks here is free to play in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing to download. Tap or click an exposed card to move it to the waste, or drag and drop it there. Tap or click the stock to turn the next card.

• Undo is unlimited.
• Hint highlights a useful move.
• Restart replays the same deal from the beginning.
• New Game deals a new numbered deal. To replay or share a deal, add ?deal= and its number to the end of the page address.
• Daily Deal gives everyone the same deal each day.
• Stats shows games played, games won, win rate, best time, and your current and best win streaks.

Your game is saved in your browser automatically, so you can close the tab and come back to it. Stats are stored in your own browser, not on a server.

About TriPeaks

TriPeaks is a close cousin of Golf Solitaire. Both games have you play cards one rank up or down onto a single pile, regardless of suit. TriPeaks adds the three-peak layout and the face-down cards, so every flip brings a little suspense. It is also one of the games in Microsoft Solitaire Collection, the solitaire app on recent versions of Windows.

If you enjoy clearing a layout card by card, try Pyramid Solitaire, where you remove pairs of cards that add up to 13.

TriPeaks FAQ

Can I play a King on an Ace?

Yes. Aces and Kings wrap around, so a King can go on an Ace and an Ace on a King, and a chain like Queen, King, Ace, 2 is legal.

Can I go through the stock more than once?

No. The stock is used once, with no redeal, which is why long chains matter so much.

Can every TriPeaks deal be won?

No. With one pass through the stock and most cards hidden at the start, some deals can't be cleared whatever you do. If a game slips away, Restart lets you try the same deal again with a different plan.

Is there a score?

Some versions of TriPeaks award points for long chains, but Solitaire Parlor doesn't use points. The game tracks your time and moves instead, and Stats keeps your record.