What is Yukon solitaire?

Yukon feels like Klondike set free. Removing the stock and loosening the move rules creates a game that's more open, more tactical, and genuinely different.

Quick answer: Yukon is a single-deck relative of Klondike with two big twists: there's no stock, so all 52 cards are dealt to the tableau up front, and you can move any face-up card along with everything on top of it, even if those cards aren't in sequence. About 80% of deals are winnable.

How Yukon works

Yukon deals all 52 cards into seven columns with no stock pile, so everything you need is on the board from the start, though many cards begin face down. You still build the foundations up by suit and the tableau down in alternating colors. Roughly 80% of Yukon deals are winnable, similar to Klondike Turn 1.

The signature move rule

Yukon's defining feature is that you can pick up any face-up card and move it with all the cards stacked on top, regardless of whether that group is in order. Only the card you grab has to land legally. This lets you shift big messy piles around, as our moving multiple cards answer describes, and rewards planning several moves deep.

A step up from Klondike

If you know Klondike and want more control and more to think about, Yukon is a natural next stop. Its stricter same-suit cousin, Russian Solitaire, is one of the hardest solitaire games when you're ready for a real challenge.

Play Yukon Solitaire

Related questions

Can you move more than one card at a time?

Yes. In Klondike, Yukon and most tableau games you can pick up a correctly ordered run of face-up cards and move it as a single group. FreeCell technically moves one card at a time, so the size of a group you can shift depends on how many free cells and empty columns are open.

What is the hardest solitaire game?

Russian Solitaire, Forty Thieves and 4-suit Spider are the hardest common variants - under one deal in ten falls even to strong players. Russian demands same-suit builds with free-wheeling moves; Forty Thieves gives one pass through the stock; 4-suit Spider needs eight full same-suit runs.

What is Canfield solitaire?

Canfield is a classic, notoriously difficult single-deck solitaire that began as an 1890s casino game. It features a 13-card reserve pile and foundations that start on a random rank rather than the Ace. In Britain the same game is known as Demon.