Yukon Solitaire Rules

How to Play Yukon Solitaire

Yukon is a single-player card game that uses one standard 52-card deck. It belongs to the same family as Klondike but introduces a critical twist: every card is dealt face-up at the start, and there is no stock pile to draw from. Instead, Yukon grants you the powerful ability to move groups of face-up cards regardless of whether they form a proper sequence. This combination of full visibility and flexible group moves creates a deeply strategic game where careful planning is rewarded far more than luck.

Tableau Setup

All 52 cards are dealt into seven tableau columns at the beginning of the game. No cards remain in a stock pile or waste pile — everything is on the table from the first move.

• Column 1: 1 card, dealt face-up.
• Column 2: 1 face-down card on the bottom, then 4 face-up cards on top (5 cards total).
• Column 3: 1 face-down card on the bottom, then 4 face-up cards on top (5 cards total).
• Columns 4 through 7: Each follows the same pattern — 1 face-down card plus 4 face-up cards (5 cards total per column).

This gives you a total of 1 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 31 face-up cards and 6 face-down cards at the start. The face-down cards are always at the very bottom of columns 2 through 7 and will be flipped face-up as soon as all cards above them are moved away.

Key Difference from Klondike

In Klondike Solitaire, 24 cards are placed in a stock pile and dealt one or three at a time into a waste pile. In Yukon, there is no stock pile and no waste pile. Every single card is dealt to the tableau at the start of the game. This means you can see the vast majority of cards from your very first move, which dramatically increases the role of planning and reduces the role of chance.

The other major difference is the group move rule. In Klondike, you can only move a group of cards if they form a properly descending sequence of alternating colors. In Yukon, you can move any face-up card along with every card on top of it, even if the cards above it are completely out of order. This flexibility is what makes Yukon a distinct game with its own strategies.

Group Moves

The group move is the heart of Yukon Solitaire. You may pick up any face-up card in any tableau column, and every card physically sitting on top of it comes along for the ride. The cards riding along do not need to be in sequence and do not need to alternate in color — they simply travel as a block.

However, the bottom card of the group (the one you select) must still follow the standard placement rule: it must be one rank lower and the opposite color of the card it lands on. For example, you could pick up a black 7 that has a red 2, black King, and red 5 piled on top of it, and place the entire group onto a red 8 — only the black 7's rank and color matter for the move to be legal.

Group moves cannot be split. You must take every card above the selected card. You cannot choose to leave some behind and bring others.

Building on the Tableau

Tableau columns build downward by alternating color, just like Klondike. A red card goes on a black card of one rank higher, and a black card goes on a red card of one rank higher. For instance, a red Queen can be placed on a black King, and a black Jack can then be placed on that red Queen.

Remember that this rule applies only to the leading card of any move — the card that actually contacts the destination card. The cards riding above it in a group move are not checked for sequence or color.

Foundation Piles

There are four foundation piles, one for each suit. Foundations are built upward by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. Only individual cards can be moved to the foundation — you cannot send a group directly. Once a card is placed on a foundation, it stays there permanently. The game is won when all four foundations are complete, containing 13 cards each from Ace through King.

Empty Column Rule

When all cards are removed from a tableau column, that column becomes empty. Only a King — or a group of cards whose leading card is a King — may be placed into an empty column. This rule is identical to Klondike. Empty columns are valuable because they give you maneuvering room to reorganize cards, so plan carefully before creating or filling them.

Strategy Tips

Since every card is visible from the start, Yukon rewards forward thinking. Here are the most important strategic principles:

• Uncover face-down cards first. There are only 6 hidden cards in the entire game. Every face-down card you reveal gives you new options and greater control. Prioritize any move that flips a hidden card.
• Think before moving to the foundation. In Klondike, sending cards to the foundation is almost always good. In Yukon, a card on the tableau may be serving as a landing spot for group moves. Sending it to the foundation too early can strand other cards.
• Use group moves to rearrange. Because you can move unsorted groups, you can temporarily shuffle cards around to access deeply buried cards. Look two or three moves ahead when planning group transfers.
• Manage empty columns wisely. An empty column is powerful because it lets you temporarily park a King-led group. Do not fill empty columns unless you have a clear plan or need to free a face-down card elsewhere.
• Build evenly across foundations. Avoid building one foundation far ahead of the others. Keeping foundations roughly even ensures you have valid landing spots in the tableau for cards of every color and rank.

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