How to Play Yukon Solitaire (Rules and Strategy)

Yukon Solitaire is the Klondike cousin that breaks the most familiar rule: in Yukon, you can move any face-up card — and every face-up card on top of it — regardless of whether they’re in proper sequence. That single change turns Solitaire into a more flexible, more strategic game where almost every deal is winnable if you read the tableau correctly. Here’s how to play.

What you need

One standard 52-card deck. No jokers. A flat surface or a screen — Yukon plays equally well with physical cards or in a browser. You can score by hand, but most computer versions track score automatically.

The setup

Deal seven tableau columns, left to right, with the following structure:

• Column 1: 1 card, face up.
• Column 2: 1 face-down card, then 5 face-up cards on top.
• Column 3: 2 face-down cards, then 5 face-up cards on top.
• Column 4: 3 face-down cards, then 5 face-up cards on top.
• Column 5: 4 face-down cards, then 5 face-up cards on top.
• Column 6: 5 face-down cards, then 5 face-up cards on top.
• Column 7: 6 face-down cards, then 5 face-up cards on top.

That uses all 52 cards. There is no stock pile, no waste pile, no hand to draw from. Everything is on the tableau from the start — many cards are face-down at the bottoms of columns, but they’ll become visible as you play through the face-up cards above them.

Above the tableau, leave space for four foundation piles. The foundations start empty. Each one is for one suit, and they’ll fill from Ace up to King.

The goal

Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles. Each foundation pile is built up by suit from Ace (low) to King (high). You win when all four foundations contain a complete Ace-to-King run.

How to play

Moves on the tableau

Tableau columns are built downward, alternating colors. A red 9 can go on a black 10; a black Jack can go on a red Queen. The standard Klondike sequencing applies — descending rank, alternating colors.

Here’s where Yukon differs from Klondike: when you move a card, you take with it every face-up card sitting on top of it, even if those cards aren’t in proper alternating sequence. In Klondike, you can only move a card if the cards on top of it form a valid descending alternating-color run. In Yukon, you can grab any face-up card and drag the entire face-up pile above it.

This is the key freedom. A 10 of Hearts in the middle of a column with random cards on top can be moved to a Jack of Spades — and all the random cards come along. They’re now sitting on top of the 10, ready to be sorted later.

Moving to foundations

An Ace can move to a foundation at any time. After that, each card moves to its suit’s foundation in ascending order: 2, 3, 4, and so on up to King. Once a card is on the foundation, it generally stays there (some variants allow returning cards from foundation to tableau, but the standard rules don’t).

Empty columns

When a column becomes empty, any face-up card — along with whatever’s on top of it — can move into the empty space. Empty columns are valuable: they’re the only place where the standard alternating-color sequencing doesn’t apply to incoming cards.

Face-down cards

When the top face-up card of a column is moved away, the face-down card beneath it flips face-up automatically. There’s no separate flip action; it happens whenever the column’s top face-down card becomes the topmost card.

Scoring

Standard Yukon scoring awards points for moving cards to the foundation: 10 points per card sent to the foundation. A perfect game (all 52 cards) scores 520 points. Some browser versions add time bonuses or penalties for using undo. There’s no “loss penalty” — a stuck game just ends without further points.

For practical play, scoring isn’t the focus — the question is whether you can complete the foundations at all. Yukon’s win rate is high (estimates put it around 80%, much higher than Klondike’s 30-50% range), but it requires correct play.

Common variants

• Russian Solitaire: Identical setup to Yukon, but tableau columns are built down in the same suit rather than alternating colors. Much harder than standard Yukon.
• Yukon Cells: Adds a few “cell” spaces (like FreeCell’s reserve slots) where a single card can be parked temporarily.
• Double Yukon: Played with two 52-card decks. Eight foundation piles instead of four. More complex; rare outside dedicated solitaire apps.
• Alaska: A variant where tableau columns can be built down in the same suit (like Russian) or up in the same suit (a substantive rule change).

Strategy basics

Expose face-down cards quickly

The cards you can’t see are the cards you can’t plan around. Prioritize moves that flip a face-down card over moves that simply rearrange face-up cards. A successful Yukon game is largely a sequence of decisions about which column to crack open next.

The flexibility of moving any face-up card

The Yukon-specific freedom — moving any face-up card with everything on top of it — is your most powerful tool. Use it to bury cards you don’t need yet under cards you also don’t need yet, freeing up the space below for a card you do need. The pile sitting on top of your moved card becomes “stored” while you do something else with the space you created.

Don’t rush to the foundation

Early in the game, sending Aces and 2s to the foundation is correct. Later, holding cards on the tableau lets you build longer sequences that help expose face-down cards. A card sitting on the tableau still helps you organize; once it’s on the foundation, it’s no longer available to help.

Empty columns are gold

An empty tableau column is the most flexible resource in the game. You can move any card or group there regardless of color or sequence. Generate them by clearing out short columns early when possible, and treat them as temporary parking for problem stacks.

Use the “look ahead” trick

Before moving any card, mentally check what becomes possible after the move. The single-card move that flips one face-down card is sometimes worse than the multi-card move that lets you flip three face-down cards in sequence. Look two moves ahead at the inflection points.

Yukon vs Klondike

The two games look identical on the surface — seven columns, foundations to the side, build-down-alternating-colors sequencing. Three concrete differences matter:

First, Yukon deals all 52 cards into the tableau; Klondike holds back 24 cards as a stock pile. Yukon’s information is all visible (eventually); Klondike’s stock is a drawn-as-needed resource.

Second, Yukon lets you move any face-up card with the pile on top of it. Klondike requires the moved group to be a valid sequence.

Third, Yukon’s win rate is much higher than Klondike’s — around 80% versus 30-50%. The trade is that Yukon’s higher win rate means missed wins feel more like player error than bad luck.

For more solitaire variants and their differences, see our games like Solitaire roundup or the best single-player card games guide.

Where Yukon comes from

Yukon Solitaire was first documented in the early 1900s, with the name presumably referencing the Yukon Territory in northwest Canada. Like most solitaire variants, the precise origin is murky — it’s a folk game adapted across decades. The game became more widely known after inclusion in popular solitaire collections in the 1980s and 1990s, and online versions have kept it a fixture of solitaire apps. Wikipedia’s Yukon page tracks the game’s history in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Can every Yukon Solitaire game be won?

Not every deal is winnable, but the vast majority are — estimates put Yukon’s solvability rate at around 80%. Compare that to Klondike’s roughly 30-50%. Yukon’s high win rate means a loss usually reflects player error rather than an unsolvable deal.

What’s the difference between Yukon and Klondike Solitaire?

Yukon deals all 52 cards into the tableau (no stock pile). Yukon lets you move any face-up card along with everything on top of it, even if not in proper sequence. Klondike has a stock pile and requires moved groups to be in valid descending alternating-color order.

What’s the best opening move in Yukon?

Survey the face-up cards across all seven columns and identify the columns with the fewest face-down cards. Plan moves that flip those columns’ hidden cards first. Aces should go to the foundation immediately when exposed; 2s when their suit’s Ace is up.

Can I move a King by itself in Yukon?

Yes. A King is a face-up card, so it can be moved along with any cards on top of it. Kings can also move into empty tableau columns. Standard rule: only Kings can move into empty columns is from Klondike; in Yukon, any face-up card can move into an empty column.

Is Yukon Solitaire harder than Klondike?

Mechanically Yukon is more permissive — more legal moves are available at any given moment. Strategically Yukon is more demanding because you have more options to choose between. Klondike’s higher loss rate is mostly about deal luck; Yukon’s losses are mostly about decision quality.

The bottom line

Yukon Solitaire rewards careful planning over speed and patience over luck. The freedom to move any face-up card with everything on top of it gives you flexibility Klondike doesn’t have — and the high win rate means most lost games are recoverable if you can read the tableau a few moves ahead. Open a free browser Yukon game, deal a hand, and try the rules with cards in front of you. When you want a non-card-game palate cleanser between hands, the Chrome Dino game is one tab away.