Learn Yukon Solitaire rules and tips to improve your game.
Yukon Solitaire sits in an interesting position in the world of free solitaire games. It shares the same seven-column tableau layout as classic Klondike, the same alternating colour sequencing rules, and the same four Ace-to-King foundations as its win condition. But one rule change — and it's a significant one — transforms the entire experience: in Yukon Solitaire, you can move any face-up card regardless of whether it forms part of a valid sequence. Any face-up card, at any position in a column, can be picked up and relocated along with all the cards sitting on top of it.
Yukon Solitaire sits in an interesting position in the world of free solitaire games. It shares the same seven-column tableau layout as classic Klondike, the same alternating colour sequencing rules, and the same four Ace-to-King foundations as its win condition. But one rule change — and it's a significant one — transforms the entire experience: in Yukon Solitaire, you can move any face-up card regardless of whether it forms part of a valid sequence. Any face-up card, at any position in a column, can be picked up and relocated along with all the cards sitting on top of it.
This single difference opens up a dramatically wider range of moves at every turn and removes the stock pile entirely — there are no cards to draw. Every card is dealt to the tableau at the start, face-down cards included, and the entire game is played out from that initial deal. The result is a solitaire card game that feels more immediately dynamic than Klondike, rewards creative problem-solving, and gives experienced players far more control over the outcome.
If you're new to solitaire generally, our guide to Play Solitaire online is a good starting point. If you're already comfortable with Klondike and want something with more freedom and depth, Yukon is the natural next step.
Yukon Solitaire is played with a single standard 52-card deck. All 52 cards are dealt to the tableau at the start — there is no stock pile and no reserve. The deal creates seven columns in the familiar Klondike-style layout, but with slightly different card counts and a key difference in how face-down and face-up cards are distributed.
The first column receives one face-up card only. Columns two through seven each receive one face-down card in the base position, topped by a varying number of face-up cards: column two gets one face-up card (two total), column three gets two face-up cards (three total), column four gets three face-up cards (four total), column five gets four face-up cards (five total), column six gets five face-up cards (six total), and column seven gets six face-up cards (seven total).
The result is that far more cards are face-up at the start of a Yukon game than a Klondike game — 22 face-up cards versus 7 in Klondike — giving you significantly more information and many more available moves from the very first turn. Only six cards start face-down: one hidden beneath the face-up cards in each of columns two through seven.
Four empty foundation piles sit above the tableau, waiting to receive complete Ace-to-King sequences by suit, exactly as in Klondike.
Foundation rules in Yukon are identical to Klondike. Each of the four foundations belongs to one suit and builds upward from Ace to King. Complete all four foundations to win the game.
Tableau movement rules in Yukon follow the same descending-rank, alternating-colour sequencing as Klondike — a red 7 on a black 8, a black 6 on a red 7. But the movement rule is entirely different: any face-up card can be moved to a valid tableau destination, carrying all face-up cards resting on top of it regardless of whether those cards form a valid sequence with each other. The destination card must be one rank higher and the opposite colour from the card being placed. This freedom to move arbitrary groups of face-up cards is the defining feature of Yukon.
Empty column rules allow any card or group to be placed in an empty column, not just Kings — unlike some other solitaire variants. There is no stock pile to draw from; the entire game is played from the initial deal.
At the start of a Yukon game, scan all seven columns for cards that can be moved onto other cards following the descending, alternating-colour rule. With 22 face-up cards available immediately, you will almost always have multiple valid moves. Your primary goal is to uncover all six face-down cards as quickly as possible.
When evaluating moves, ask two questions: does this move uncover a face-down card, and does it create or extend a useful sequence? Moves that uncover face-down cards take priority. Moves that extend sequences rank second. Moves that merely rearrange face-up cards with no uncovering effect should generally be deferred unless they are necessary preparation for a higher-priority move.
Prioritise uncovering face-down cards. With only six face-down cards in the entire game, uncovering all of them is both achievable and essential — every face-down card is a blocked resource until it is revealed.
Use the Yukon move rule aggressively. Look at every face-up card in the middle of each column, not just the bottom card — any of them can move with everything above it.
Manage empty columns strategically. Empty columns allow temporary staging of card groups. Only Kings can permanently fill an empty column, but any card can pass through one as temporary storage.
Think about what each move unlocks. The question is not just where a card goes, but what card it exposes or what sequence it enables. Yukon rewards players who ask this question on every move.
Avoid sending cards to the foundation too early. Low-rank cards in the tableau sometimes provide the flexibility needed for a complex uncovering sequence — send them to the foundation only once they are no longer needed as tableau building blocks.
Build sequences from buried cards upward
Build clean, ordered sequences working from the deeply buried cards upward. Tidy sequences are easier to manage and easier to send to the foundation in one sweep when the time comes.
Keep foundations balanced
Aim to advance all four foundations at roughly similar pace rather than pushing one far ahead of the others. Imbalanced foundations can strand high-rank cards in the tableau with nowhere useful to go.
Use the daily challenge for practice
Our daily solitaire challenge is an excellent way to build a regular Yukon practice habit. Our FreeCell strategy guide is also worth reading for its planning and sequencing principles, which transfer directly to Yukon.
Yukon Solitaire uses a 52-card deck dealt entirely to a seven-column tableau — no stock pile. Tableau moves follow descending rank and alternating colour. The key difference is Yukon's move rule: any face-up card can be moved to a valid destination, carrying all face-up cards resting on top of it regardless of sequence. Your goal is to build all four foundations from Ace to King. Visit our free Yukon Solitaire game to play online, or try our daily solitaire challenge for a fresh deal each day.
The five most impactful habits are: uncover all six face-down cards as early as possible; use the free movement rule aggressively on every face-up card in every column; treat empty columns as staging areas rather than destinations to fill immediately; always ask what each move unlocks rather than just where it goes; and advance all four foundations at a similar pace. Our FreeCell strategy guide also covers planning and sequencing principles that apply directly to Yukon.