Every card is on the table from the start. Any face-up card can move, together with everything stacked on it, as long as it lands one lower in the opposite color.
How to Play Yukon Solitaire
Yukon is laid out much like Klondike Solitaire, but it plays very differently. There is no stock: all 52 cards are dealt at the start, and you can move groups of cards that are not in order.
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, called the tableau. 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. That makes 21 cards face down and 31 face up.
Moving Cards
The tableau is built down in alternating colors, such as a red 7 on a black 8. You always build on the top card of a column, the one not covered by another card.
Here is the rule that makes Yukon different. You can pick up any face-up card, not just a top card, and every card on top of it comes along, in order or not. Only the card you pick up has to fit. A black 6 with a 2 and a Queen on top of it can still move onto a red 7.
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 descending order, the Auto-finish button sends everything home.
Yukon Strategy Tips
- Turn over face-down cards first. The 21 hidden cards are the only unknowns in Yukon. Given a choice, make the move that reveals one, especially in the right-hand columns, where most of them are.
- Look at the whole column, not just the top card. Any face-up card can move, so check every one. The card sitting directly on the face-down cards matters most. If it is a red 9 and another column ends in a black 10, one move carries the whole stack across and turns over a new card.
- Make room for Kings. Within the tableau, a King can only move to an empty column, so a King sitting on face-down cards keeps them buried until a column opens. The first column, with just one card, is often the easiest to empty. A King at the base of a column never needs to move.
- When two cards fit, pick the one that does more. If the 7 of hearts and the 7 of diamonds could both go on the 8 of spades, move the one sitting directly on face-down cards, so a hidden card turns over.
- Count your landing spots. Apart from Kings, each card has only two places to go in the tableau: the two cards of the opposite color one rank higher. If both red 7s are buried, no black 6 can move in the tableau until you dig one out.
- Do not rush cards to the foundations. While a card is on a foundation, it cannot hold anything in the tableau. A red 6 is safe to send up once both black 5s are there. Since a tap tries the foundations first, drag a card you want to keep in the tableau.
- Use Undo to test ideas. Undo is unlimited, so you can try a plan and back out if it goes nowhere.
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, with the number shown above the table; add ?deal= and that number to the end of the page link to replay or share it.
- Yukon and Russian, next to the title, switch between Yukon and Russian Solitaire, which builds down in suit.
- Daily Deal gives everyone the same deal each day.
- Stats shows games played and won, win rate, best time, and your current and best win streaks.
- Settings changes the table color and card backs, turns on four-color suits, moves the deck to the right side, 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. Each game tracks your time and moves; there are no points.
About Yukon Solitaire
Yukon is a close relative of Klondike, and the names go together: the Klondike, famous for its gold rush, is a region of Canada's Yukon. Like FreeCell, Yukon deals every card at the start, though here 21 of them begin face down.
A stricter relative, known as Russian Solitaire, uses the same layout but builds down in suit instead of in alternating colors. If you enjoy moving stacks that are out of order, Scorpion Solitaire uses the same idea with Spider-style runs.
Yukon Solitaire FAQ
Is this Yukon Solitaire free?
Yes. You can play Yukon Solitaire free in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing to download, using a mouse or a touchscreen.
How is Yukon different from Klondike?
Yukon has no stock, so all 52 cards are dealt at the start. And while Klondike only lets you move groups that are in sequence, Yukon lets you move any face-up card with everything on top of it, in order or not.
Why won't a card go into an empty column?
Only a King can fill an empty column. Every other card has to go onto a card of the opposite color one rank higher, or to a foundation.
Can every game of Yukon be won?
No. Some deals cannot be won however you play them. Restart lets you try the same cards again with a different plan, and New Game deals a fresh one.