How Yukon Solitaire Works
Yukon Solitaire is a Klondike relative with no stock. All 52 cards sit in seven columns, some face down. Build down in alternating colors, move any face-up card with everything on top of it, fill empty columns only with Kings, and send suits up from Ace to King.
Reading the deal
| Column | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face down | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Face up | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Column 1 holds a single card. Every other column has a face-down base, then a face-up card, and four more face-up cards piled on top. That makes 28 + 24 = 52 cards, and nothing is left over: no stock, no waste.
Building in the columns
A card, or a group, may be placed on a card that is one rank higher and of the opposite color: a red 6 on a black 7, a black Jack on a red Queen. The twist is how much you can pick up. Tap any face-up card, and it moves along with every card on top of it, whether or not they form a proper sequence.
When a move leaves a face-down card at the end of a column, it turns face up by itself.
Empty columns and foundations
An empty column accepts only a King, with whatever sits on it. On the foundations, each suit builds from Ace to King. The table moves cards home on its own when it is safe to do so: Aces and 2s immediately, and a higher card once both opposite-color cards of the next rank down are already on their foundations. If you tap the last card of a column and it can go home, it does.
| Move onto a card | Opposite color, one rank lower |
|---|---|
| What can move | Any face-up card plus everything on it |
| Empty column | King (and its group) only |
| Win | All 52 cards on the foundations |
A sample sequence
Step 1 of 7
Six columns, one empty
XX is a face-down card. Column E is empty and column F holds a King with a Queen on it.
Mistakes that trap players
- Filling an empty column with a King that has nothing useful under it.
- Moving a group onto a card that hides an Ace you need.
- Moving a long stack just to reveal a card you cannot place.
- Forgetting that a group move does not need the group to be in order.
When you want strict same-suit sequences instead, see Scorpion Solitaire.
Yukon rules: what players ask
How many cards are face down at the start?
Twenty-one: none in column 1, one in column 2, up to six in column 7.
Can a group be moved if it isn’t in order?
Yes, and that is the signature rule of Yukon. Only the top card of the group has to fit where you are putting it.
Can I take cards back from a foundation?
Not in this version. Once a card is home it stays home.
What if I have no moves?
There is no stock, so the game ends. A message appears when no useful move is left; use Undo to try another path.
Is it the same as Russian Solitaire?
Close. Russian Solitaire builds on the same suit, while Yukon alternates colors.