Yukon Solitaire
Klondike's older, tougher sibling. No stock pile to flip, no luck of the draw — every one of the 52 cards is on the table from move one, and your only job is to sort them. Move any face-up card with whatever's stacked on top of it, regardless of order. The classic the gold rush prospectors are said to have invented during long Yukon winters. Play below, free, no signup.
What Makes Yukon Different
Yukon strips away the two things in Klondike that frustrate experienced players: the stock pile (which forces you to wait for cards to be drawn) and the rule that only properly sequenced groups can be moved. Without those constraints the game becomes pure planning. Everything you need is already on the table. The question is whether you can untangle it.
How to Play Yukon Solitaire
Like Klondike, Yukon deals seven tableau columns of increasing length: column 1 has one card, column 2 has two, and so on. Unlike Klondike, the dealer keeps going — instead of a stock pile, the remaining 24 cards are dealt face-up onto columns 2 through 7, four extra cards per column. The result: every single card in the deck is visible (face-up cards) or accessible (face-down cards beneath them).
- Goal: Build the four foundations from Ace to King by suit.
- Tableau rule: Build downward in alternating colors. A red Ten goes on a black Jack.
- Move freely: Pick up any face-up card along with everything stacked on top of it, in any order. The whole group moves as one. Drop it where the bottom card legally lands.
- Empty columns: Any card or group can move to an empty column — not just Kings.
- No stock, no waste, no redeal. You play with what's dealt.
Yukon Strategy: Five Principles
- Expose face-down cards first. Yukon's win condition is sorting the entire deck. Buried cards must be exposed before they can be sorted. Every move that turns a face-down card face-up is progress.
- Empty a column early. An empty column in Yukon is more powerful than in Klondike because any group can move there. Aim to clear column 1 (only one card to start) within the opening minutes.
- Move groups, not single cards, when you can. A single-card move sometimes wastes a position. A group move that exposes three face-down cards at once is a small avalanche of progress.
- Foundations are usually a trap. Sending Aces and 2s to the foundation early is satisfying but often eliminates an anchor card from the tableau. Hold low cards until late game when the tableau is largely sorted.
- Look for color traps. If both red 7s are deep under black 8 stacks and you've moved a black 8 onto a red 9 elsewhere, your remaining red 7 has no home. Plan moves to avoid stranding cards.
Yukon vs Klondike Comparison
| Yukon | Klondike Turn 1 | Klondike Turn 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock pile | None | 24-card stock | 24-card stock |
| Cards dealt face-up | ~32 (most of deck) | 7 (one per column) | 7 (one per column) |
| Move multi-card groups | Any group, any order | Only sorted sequences | Only sorted sequences |
| Empty column accepts | Any card or group | Kings only | Kings only |
| Skilled win rate | ~80% | ~33% | ~11% |
| Avg. game length | 10 min | 5 min | 7 min |
| Skill vs luck | Mostly skill | Balanced | Mostly luck |
Full breakdown in Yukon vs Klondike: Five Key Differences.
A Short History
Yukon doesn't have a clean origin story. It probably evolved as a folk variant of Klondike during the late nineteenth century gold rush, when prospectors stuck in Yukon Territory cabins through the winter modified the standard rules to give themselves a longer, more demanding game. Yukon enters the published record in the early twentieth century in solitaire compilations and was bundled into digital solitaire collections starting in the 1990s. Its closest cousins are Russian Solitaire (which adds a same-suit build rule) and Scorpion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Yukon Solitaire?
Yukon is a single-player card game closely related to Klondike but with two crucial differences: every one of the 52 cards is dealt to the tableau (no stock pile exists), and groups of cards can be moved regardless of internal order. The result is a more strategic, less random game.
Is Yukon harder than Klondike?
Yukon has fewer unwinnable deals than Klondike Turn 3, but it requires more planning. There's no stock to bail you out — every winning move has to come from cards already on the table. Strong Yukon players win 80% of hands or more.
Where does the name come from?
The game is named after the Yukon Territory in northwestern Canada and is associated with the 1896-99 Klondike Gold Rush, where prospectors reportedly invented variations on Klondike during long northern winters. Yukon shares Klondike's tableau structure but discards the stock — a thematic nod to working only with what you've staked.
Can I undo moves in Yukon?
Yes. On this site every move can be undone, including chained sequences. There is no Vegas-style penalty for backtracking.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your in-progress hand and overall statistics are stored in your browser's local storage. Close the tab and return tomorrow to pick up exactly where you left off.
Is every Yukon deal solvable?
No, but the unwinnable fraction is much smaller than in Klondike Turn 3. Most Yukon losses are skill errors — buried Aces, wasted empty columns — rather than dead deals.