Written rules of klondike date back to about 1900, however, it possibly originated in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899, where playing cards and solitaire were popular pastimes. It is now the most popular form of solitaire in the United States, its popularity increased as a result of its use in computer solitaire.
Take one standard deck, jokers removed. Deal a tableau consiting of a row of seven piles of cards, with the first pile containing one card, and each next pile containing one more, with the last pile containing seven cards. Splay the piles downward and flip the top cards up, as shown below. The rest of the deck will form the stock, and leave space above the tableau for the foundation piles.
The top card of any pile can be moved to the top of another pile, if the current top card on the other pile is one rank higher and the opposite color (red vs. black). If a pile has more than one face-up card, any card can be moved, but all cards above it (lower in rank) must move with it. An ace can begin the foundation piles, one pile for each suit, which then build up in sequence, all the way to king. Kings can be played onto empty spaces in the tableau (there can never be more than seven piles).
The player may draw from the stockpile to the discard pile three at a time, with only the top card of the discard pile free to be used on the tableau or the foundations. If the stock has less than three cards left, draw all remaining cards. Once the stock is depleted, flip the discard pile over (do not shuffle) to become the new stock.
If all founation piles are built up to kings, the game is won.
If the player has gone through the entire stockpile without playing any cards, then there are no moves left and the game is lost.
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