Play Russian Solitaire Online for Free

Russian Solitaire is a variation of Yukon Solitaire. In Russian Solitaire, cards are sequenced by suit, whereas in Yukon cards are sequenced by suits of the opposite color. This makes Russian a more challenging variation.

What is Russian Solitaire?

Additionally, unlike classic Solitaire, Russian solitaire does not feature a stock or a waste pile. Therefore, you rely exclusively on the tableau to move cards to the foundation.

How to Play

Objective

The goal is to move all the cards to the foundation from Ace to King by suit.

The Setup and Play Area

There are two main areas in the game:

The foundation: These are the empty piles at the top of the game. Place cards here from the tableau in order by suit, starting with Aces.

The tableau: This is the area with 7 columns. The first column has 1 card, the second column has 6, the third column has 7, the fourth column has 8, the fifth column has 9, the sixth has 10 cards, and the seventh column has 11 cards. The first column has 1 card face-up, while the other tableau columns have their last 5 cards face-up.

Available moves

  • Sequence cards by suit to free up cards. For example, you can move a 4 of Diamonds on top of a 5 of Diamonds in a different tableau column.
  • If you move a card and a face-down card remains, that card is flipped over and is now playable.
  • A group of cards, whether they are sequenced or not, can be moved to another tableau column as long as the top card of that group is one rank lower and the same suit as the card it’s being placed on.
  • Kings, and cards below a King, can be moved to an empty tableau column.
  • As cards free up, they can be moved to the foundation by suit in order, starting with Aces. For instance, if an Ace of Spades is playable, it can be moved to the foundation. If a 2 of Spades is later playable, it can be moved on top of the Ace of Spades in the foundation.
  • You win when all cards from the tableau are placed in the foundation.
  • You lose if you cannot move all the cards into the foundation.

Watch our instructional video to learn how to play.

Strategy

Following these simple tips, you can see drastic improvements in your game:

  • Reveal face-down cards as quickly as you can. The more cards you can see, the more options you have to make moves.
  • Don’t get distracted by the last card. In the example below, if the 9 of clubs is open and the 8 of clubs is visible, you can move it onto the 9, even if it’s behind 5 unrelated cards.
Russian Solitaire moving cards on the tableau
  • Move cards to the foundation quickly. This will free up more cards to play in the tableau.
  • Try and clear tableau column towards the beginning of the game, allowing you to move Kings to those empty columns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the odds of winning Russian Solitaire?

When looking at 39,841 games played, only 1,208 were won, or 3.0%.

Who invented Russian solitaire?

The origins of Russian Solitaire are unclear, but it’s thought to have been created around the same time as Yukon solitaire. The inventor is unknown!

What are other popular Solitaire games?