Goodsol Solitaire Blog

5 Unusual Solitaire Games for You to Play

There are many hundreds of solitaire games in existence, and many of them have similar structures.  Here are 5 games that are different from the rest.

1) Kings in the Corners

Kings in the Corners is an interesting game where your objective is the place the court cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) in special places.  You proceed through the deck one card at a time, placing Queens in the top and bottom places, Jacks to the left and the right, and Kings in the corners.  There are a few places for other cards, and you sometimes have to place other cards in the spaces for Kings, Queens, and Jacks.  But cards can sometimes be removed, and you hope that you can remove non-court cards in order to put the court cards in their places.  The main flaw to the game is it involves a lot of luck to win.

How to Play Kings in the Corners Solitaire

 

2)  Thirteen Packs

Thirteen Packs is a two deck game where the cards are dealt out to 13 piles in an unusual way.    Cards are dealt out the 13 piles and then to the stock in a way where the number of cards dealt to each pile will be variable.  You then go through the stock, opening the 13 piles based on the ranks of the cards in the stock and play cards up to the foundation as possible.  It is a difficult game to win.  Thirteen Packs (with slight differences in the rules) is also known by other names, such as Weaver's, Leoni's Own, or Grandma's Game.

How to Play Thirteen Packs

 

3) Alliance

 Alliance is a game I invented.  It is based on the game Matrimony, which is an interesting game but it rarely comes out.  I made changes so that some skill could give the player a fighting chance to win.

A game of Alliance has several stages:  first, cards are dealt out to 16 piles.  Each time you click on the stock, one card is dealt out to each of the 16 piles.  At each step you have the chance to move cards up to the foundations if possible, but there is no moving within the 16 piles.  When the stock is empty, the redeals start.  There are 16 redeals, each redeal involves picking up a pile and distributing it to the top of the other piles.   Again, you can move cards to the foundations if possible at every step.  Finally, when the redeals are complete, you can move cards between the 16 piles to free up buried cards.

Alliance is a fun game and a great change of pace from regular solitaire games.

How to Play Alliance Solitaire

 

4) German Patience

German Patience is an extremely difficult game.  You have 8 piles and your job is to build sequences of 13 cards up regardless of suit (wrapping King to Ace).  You win if you get all the cards into sequences. The problem is you only have the 8 piles to work with, plus a waste pile.  You can moves groups of cards in sequence around, but that's it.  It is really tough to get all the cards lined up.

How to Play German Patience Solitaire

 

5) Fifteen Puzzle

Fifteen Puzzle is actually similar to German Patience, but instead of sequences, you want to put the four cards of each rank together (such as the four Kings).   There are thirteen ranks and you have 15 piles to work with, so you have some extra room.  You play cards of the same rank on each other and try to move them around to get 4 of each rank in a pile.   Fifteen Piles is easier than the other games here and you can get it to come out most of the time.

How to Play Fifteen Puzzle Solitaire

5 Close Alternatives to FreeCell

FreeCell is one of the most popular solitaire games.   This is probably because a version of it has come with Windows for over 20 years, and also because nearly every game is winnable, but the game is often a challenge.

How to Play FreeCell

 

But for some people FreeCell is too hard, and for others it is too easy.  Fortunately, Pretty Good Solitaire has a number of games that are very close the FreeCell but are easier or harder.  Here are a few of them.

 

1) Baker's Game

 

Baker's Game is actually an older game than FreeCell.  It is played exactly like FreeCell except that you build cards down by suit instead of down by alternate color.  This makes the game much harder, as there are fewer choices for each move.  Baker's Game blocks much more often than FreeCell and there are many more unwinnable games, but it provides more of a challenge to the expert player.

How to Play Baker's Game

 

2) Challenge FreeCell

 

Challenge FreeCell is another game more difficult than the standard FreeCell.  In Challenge FreeCell, all of the Aces and Twos are dealt first to the bottom of the 8 tableau piles, then all the other cards are dealt out on top of them.  With the Aces and Twos completely buried, you have to clear all of the cards on top of them in order to get them out to start the foundation piles. This makes the game somewhat harder (although not nearly as hard as Baker's Game).

How to Play Challenge FreeCell

 

3) Eight by Five

 

Eight by Five is an easier game than the regular FreeCell.  It is just like FreeCell, but instead of 4 free cells, it has 5.  This gives you an extra cell to store cards in and makes the game considerably easier.  If FreeCell is just too much of a challenge sometimes, you'll find that the extra cell makes many tough games easy.

 

4) Three Cells

 

Three Cells is another game slightly harder than the regular FreeCell.  Instead of an extra cell, Three Cells takes one away.  As the name implies, it has only three cells.  One less space to store cards makes for a harder, more challenging game.

 

5)  ForeCell

 

ForeCell is another old game that may pre-date FreeCell, as Baker's Game does.   ForeCell is just like FreeCell except four cards are dealt to the four cells at the start of the game, meaning that the player has to move them either to the foundations or into the 8 tableau piles in order to use the cells.  This again makes the game somewhat harder than regular FreeCell, at least at the beginning until the cells are cleared.

How to Play ForeCell

7 Alternatives to the Standard Solitaire Game

Most people are familiar with the basic classic solitaire game that comes with Windows.

Many people don't know that this is the game called Klondike.

    How to Play Klondike

 

While Klondike is fun to play and a fine example of a good solitaire game (how else did it get so popular}, there are lots of game similar to it that are just as much fun or more.  Here are some examples from among the more than 900 games in Pretty Good Solitaire.

 

1) Gold Rush

Gold Rush is my favorite Klondike alternative, in part because I invented it. It takes the basic Klondike game, with unlimited redeals and a 3 card draw, and changes it to have only 2 redeals, but a 2 card draw after the first redeal, then a 1 card draw for the last time through the deck.  This makes for a nicely balanced game that is challenging but not too challenging.

How to Play Gold Rush

 

2) Double Klondike

Double Klondike is just the standard solitaire game expanded to two decks.  More cards give more choices and on the whole makes a better (but longer) game.

How to Play Double Klondike

 

3) Fascination

Fascination is another game that I invented for Pretty Good Solitaire nearly 20 years ago.  It is an attempt to make an open game out of Klondike.  An open solitaire game is a game where all the cards in the deck are dealt out face up at the start of the game. The most famous open solitaire game is FreeCell.  Open games have perfect information for the player, he or she can see where everything is.  As such, they tend to be more strategic games.

How to Play Fascination

 

4)  Moving Left

 

Moving Left is another 2 deck version of Klondike.   The main thing about Moving Left is when an pile becomes empty, every other pile moves one space over to the left.

How to Play Moving Left

 

5) Trigon

Trigon takes the classic Klondike game and makes it harder. Instead of the standard of building cards down by alternate color among the 7 piles, it changes it to building down by suit.  This makes the game considerably harder.

 

How to Play Trigon

 

6) Lady Jane

Lady Jane is another 2 deck game.  Lady Jane features all face up cards in the tableau.  It is a game for people who like easy games to win.

How to Play Lady Jane

 

7) King Albert

King Albert is another open game, with all the cards of one deck dealt out face up with 7 cards dealt out as reserve cards (all the card available) at the bottom of the screen.  King Albert is a somewhat overlooked and challenging game. It blocks easily and so it doesn't have the appeal of FreeCell, but if you ignore the unwinnable games and concentrate on deals that give you a change, it can be a fun game.

How to Play King Albert

 

5 Challenging But Fun Solitaire Games

 

1) Interchange

One of the most played games on my new online solitaire site is the game Interchange.  Interchange is a 2 deck Forty Thieves type game (learn more about it here).  It has been the subject of much study, with an article written about its strategy.

Interchange is a very hard game to win - it is very hard to win it even 1% of the time.  Often you don't even come close.  Therefore, several other games have been invented to make it easier to win.

Play Interchange Online

 

2) Unlimited

The first easier Interchange variation is Unlimited.  Unlimited is the same as Interchange except it allows unlimited redeals.  Interchange has no redeals at all.

Interchange is such a hard game that even adding unlimited redeals doesn't make it particularly easy, but at least it gives you a fighting chance in most games.

Play Unlimited Online

 

3) Give and Take

Give and Take is a brand new game in Pretty Good Solitaire v15.20.  It is like Interchange, but also with redeals.  In this case, the first time through the deck cards are dealt 3 at a time from the stock to the waste pile, then there is a redeal, then cards are dealt 2 at a time, then another redeal, then cards are dealt one at a time until done.

Give and Take is a much easier game than Interchange, but much harder than Unlimited.

Play Give and Take Online

 

4) Breakwater

Breakwater is exactly like Interchange except that building in the tableau is down regardless of suit instead of by suit.  This makes the game considerably easier as there are many more possible plays.

Play Breakwater Online

 

5) Forty-Nine

Forty-Nine changes the tableau building method, just as Breakwater does.  In Forty-Nine, building in the tableau is by alternate color.  This makes Forty-Nine harder than Breakwater (which is regardless of suit), but easier than Interchange (by suit).  Even so, Forty-Nine is still not an easy game.

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All of the 5 games above are in Pretty Good Solitaire, available for Windows/Mac/iPad.

 

 

PREVIOUSLY: 7 Interesting Yukon Type Solitaire Games

7 Interesting Yukon Type Solitaire Games

Yukon is one of the most popular games in Pretty Good Solitaire.  Yukon's special feature is its group moving rule: you can move any face up group of cards regardless of sequence.  

Yukon has a large number of variations, we will look at 7 of the most interesting ones here.

How to Play Yukon Solitaire

 

1) Russian Solitaire

Russian Solitaire is the most popular Yukon variation.  It is simply Yukon with same suit building instead of alternate color building.  This makes the game much harder and more challenging.

How to Play Russian Solitaire

 

2) Alaska

Alaska is another variation. It goes inbetween Yukon and Russian Solitaire by having building either up or down in suit instead of just down as in Russian Solitaire.  

How to Play Alaska Solitaire

 

3) Moosehide

Moosehide goes the other way - it makes Yukon easier (although Yukon can be won most of the time, games where you get stuck are still common).  In Moosehide, you build down by any suit but the same, making it easier than Yukon's alternate color building.

 

4) Australian Patience

Australian Patience is like Yukon except it has a flat tableau - same number of cards in each tableau pile.  It also has a stock and waste pile (which is different from Yukon and the other games above), but the basic concept of moving groups regardless of sequence is the same.

How to Play Australian Patience

 

5) Ukrainian Solitaire

Ukrainian Solitaire is just like Russian Solitaire, but instead of cards moving to the foundations one at a time, you build 13 card sequences from King to Ace and move them up all together as a unit (this is similar to the game Spider).

How to Play Ukrainian Solitaire

 

6) Geoffrey

Geoffrey is like Yukon (or really Russian Solitaire) with a different initial tableau layout.  It's initial layout looks more like the game Scorpion, which also has the same group moving rules that Yukon has.

How to Play Geoffrey Solitaire

 

7) Double Yukon

Finally, there are a number of two deck Yukon type games, the first of which is Double Yukon.  Double Yukon is just a two deck version of the basic Yukon.   More cards add more possibilities.

How to Play Double Yukon Solitaire

 

 

3 Original Solitaire Games with Redeals

Of the hundreds of solitaire games that I have invented for Pretty Good Solitaire, here are 3 with a special redeals feature.  In each of these games, there are 2 redeals of the stock to the waste pile.  In each game, the first time through the deck, 3 cards are dealt from the stock to the waste at a time.  Then after the first redeal, you go through the stock 2 cards at a time.  Finally, after the 2nd redeal, you go through the stock one card at a time (seeing every card).

1) Gold Rush

Gold Rush is the first game of this type and the first one invented.  Gold Rush is simply the game Klondike (the basic 7 piles solitaire game) with the special redeal rules described above.  The result is a challenging game, but a game that is often winnable.  It is a great compromise between the 1 card and 3 card deal settings in the standard Klondike game. 

This is one of my favorites of the games I invented and I highly recommend it.

How to Play Gold Rush Solitaire

 

2) Harp Rush

Harp Rush is a variation of the 2 deck Klondike type game Harp.  Harp is just a 2 deck Klondike similar to Double Klondike.  Harp is an interesting game in its own right, but Harp Rush makes it better by again solving the 1 card or 3 card deal dilemma.  

 

3) Batsford Rush

Batsford Rush is a variation of the 2 deck Klondike type game Batsford.  Batsford is another good 2 deck game, with an extra storage pile for Kings.  The main thing about Batsford is that it is a fairly hard game to win.  But Batsford Rush, by giving 3 times through the deck, makes the game easier without making it too easy.  Batsford Rush has quickly become my favorite version of Batsford and one of the best 2 deck Klondike type games.

 

6 Terrace Type Solitaire Games

1) Terrace

Terrace is one of the classic games in Pretty Good Solitaire.  It is the base game for an entire type of solitaire game.

The main characteristic of Terrace type games is a large reserve pile (top).  The cards in this pile can usually only be played to the foundations and not to the tableau.  Because of this, Terrace type games tend to be challenging and the key to winning is to get those reserve cards onto the foundations.

In Terrace the player also has the ability to choose the first card played to the first foundation pile.  This is an important decision as you can try to choose a rank that will allow as many reserve cards to move to the foundations as possible.

How to Play Terrace Solitaire

 

2) General's Patience

General's Patience is a variation of Terrace where you don't choose the first card.  Also building on the foundations is by suit (normal) rather than by alternate color as in Terrace.  This makes for an extremely difficult game.

 

3) Blondes and Brunettes

Blondes and Brunettes is an easier game than Terrace.  There is no choice of first foundation card, but there are fewer reserve cards.

 

4) Redheads

Redheads is like Blondes and Brunettes but it has a huge reserve pile (21 cards!).  This makes the game much harder.

 

5) Falling Star

Falling star is another variation with no choice of first foundation card.   This one is easier than Terrace, though.

 

6) Empress of Italy

While all of the previous games are 2 deck games, Empress of Italy takes Terrace and makes it a 4 deck game (and a good one too).  It is still hard to win but the extra cards give more moves.

4 Solitaire Games to Try

Here are four somewhat obscure solitaire games in Pretty Good Solitaire that you should try.

 

1) Virginia Reel

Virginia Reel is a somewhat obscure solitaire game that is worth giving a try.

The game has complicated rules, but it is worth learning because the game is fun and interesting.  The game has a special pile where all Aces are placed when they come up.  There are also 3 rows of cards: in the top row, you start with Twos, in the next row you start with Three's, and below that you start with Four's.  Each of the rows is built by 3's: In the Twos row, you build 2, 5, 8, 11 (Jack), in the Three's row 3, 6, 9,  12 (Queen), and in the Fours row 4, 7, 10, 13 (King).    Below these rows is another row, which is where cards are dealt.  The top card of these piles are available for play on the other rows.

It's complicated, but it is a fun and strategic game.

How to Play Virginia Reel Solitaire

 

2) Royal Parade

Virginia Reel is actually based on an older game, Royal Parade.  Royal Parade is not as interesting a game as Virginia Reel (although it is very similar).  Still, its worth seeing how Virginia Reel started.

 

3)  Three Up

Three Up is a 3 deck version of Virginia Reel (which is a 2 deck game).  It simply adds more piles to the game.  It is currently in the Windows version of Pretty Good Solitaire only.

 

4) Blue Jacket

 

Blue Jacket is a game recently added to the WIndows version of Pretty Good Solitaire.  It attempts to improve upon the game by allowing any card to fill spaces in the bottom row of piles (there is no building in empty spaces in that row in Virginia Reel).  This makes the game somewhat easier to win and also adds more strategy to it.

Blue Jacket has been the subject of a lot of discussion on the Goodsol Forum about winning numbers.

 

PREVIOUSLY: 5 Good Sir Tommy Type Solitaire Games

5 Good Sir Tommy Type Solitaire Games

 

Sir Tommy is a basic game where you move cards into 4 piles, trying to build the Aces up to Kings for each suit.  You try to avoid blocking yourself by placing the cards such that they will be able to move up as more cards become available.

In Pretty Good Solitaire version 15.1, which will be released this week, there is a new game group consisting of Sir Tommy type games.  There are a total of 57 games in this group: here are 5 of the most interesting ones.

 

1) Tam O'Shanter

Tam O'Shanter is one of the oldest solitaire games known.  It also is among the hardest.  Cards are dealt out in sets of 4.  You move Aces to the foundations as they become available and try to build up regardless of suit to Kings.

You will probably never win Tam O'Shanter.  It is simply that hard.

 

2) Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne is an easier version of Tam O'Shanter.  The difference is that the Aces are dealt for you at the start of the game.  This makes it easier, but it is still a very hard game to win.

How to Play Auld Lang Syne Solitaire

 

3) Acquaintance

Acquaintance is an easier version of Auld Lang Syne.  It simply adds 2 redeals to Auld Lang Syne.  This simple change makes it a much, much better game.  The game is still somewhat hard, but it is often winnable.  It's also much more fun to play.  Acquaintance is one of the best Sir Tommy type games.

How to Play Acquaintance Solitaire

 

4) Calculation

Calculation is a classic variation of Sir Tommy.  It plays like Sir Tommy except building on the foundations is by different sequences. On the first foundation pile, you build up Ace, Two, Three, etc as usual.  But on the 2nd foundation pile, you build by Twos: Two, Four, Six, Eight, etc.  On the 3rd pile, you build by Threes:  Three, Six, Nine, etc.  And on the final pile, you build by Fours:  Four, Eight, Queen, etc.  It gets complicated, but there is a guide in the status bar to help you know what card is next in the sequence.

 

5)  Interregnum

Interregnum is a 2 deck Sir Tommy type game.  Each of the Eight foundation piles starts with a different rank - they are then built up regardless of suit, wrapping around as necessary.  Like Calculation, it gets complicated, but it is an interesting game.

 

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Those are 5 games to get you started with the Sir Tommy type of solitaire games.  Play all 57 Sir Tommy type games in version 15.1 of Pretty Good Solitaire.

 

PREVIOUSLY: 5 Solitaire Games Like Scorpion

NEXT: 4 Solitaire Games to Try

5 Solitaire Games like Scorpion

Scorpion is one of the most popular Spider type solitaire games in Pretty Good Solitaire.  Here are 5 of the most interesting Scorpion variations:

 

1) Scorpion II

Scorpion II is just like Scorpion except that only 9 cards are face down instead of 12.  This makes the game a little bit easier as you can see more cards and don't have to uncover as many.

 

2) Double Scorpion

Double Scorpion is a two deck version of Scorpion.  It plays about the same except there are more cards.  This adds complications and you have to put more cards in order, but on the other hand there are two of every card.

 How to Play Double Scorpion Solitaire

 

3) Three Blind Mice

Three Blind Mice stretches the tableau out from seven piles to ten.  With fewer cards in each pile and more piles, Three Blind Mice should be an easier game than Scorpion, but in practice it isn't.

 How to Play Three Blind Mice Solitaire

 

4) Scorpion Head

Scorpion Head adds elements of FreeCell to Scorpion.  It adds 4 cells to the game, which definitely makes the game easier to win.

 

5) Applegate

Applegate takes the opening tableau of Scorpion and lays out the extra 3 cards individually.  This makes it a bit similar to Scorpion Head, but these are not cells - once you move the three extra cards, they cannot be replaced.  The opening layout is also a bit different, but with the same number of covered cards as regular Scorpion.

 

PREVIOUSLY: 7 Interesting FreeCell Type Solitaire Games

NEXT: 5 Good Sir Tommy Type Solitaire Games