Play Yukon Solitaire for free
Yukon is a patience game for one player, a close cousin of classic Klondike Solitaire. Here on Kitchen Table Cards you can play Yukon free in your browser with large cards, unlimited Undo, hints and no time pressure. There is nothing to download and you do not need an account.
What is Yukon? · How to play · Allowed moves · Yukon vs. Klondike · Tips · Questions
What is Yukon Solitaire?
Yukon is played with one ordinary 52-card deck. Like Klondike, the goal is to sort every card into four piles, one for each suit, from Ace up to King. The difference is that all the cards are dealt onto the table at the start, and you can move whole groups of face-up cards at once, even when they are not in order.
The game takes its name from the Yukon, the territory in the far north-west of Canada. The Klondike, the gold-rush region that gave classic Solitaire its name, lies inside the Yukon, so the two games are named after the same corner of the world.
How to play Yukon Solitaire
The cards are dealt into seven columns:
- The first column on the left is a single face-up card.
- Each of the other six columns has some face-down cards with five face-up cards on top. Column 2 has one face-down card, column 3 has two, and so on, up to six face-down cards in column 7.
The four empty piles in the top right corner are where the suits are built. Each pile starts with an Ace and goes up in the same suit: Ace, 2, 3 and so on up to the King. When all four piles reach their King, you have won.
Allowed moves in Yukon
- Other colour, one lower: in the columns, a card goes on a card of the other colour that is one rank higher. A red 9 goes on a black 10, a black 9 on a red 10.
- Move any face-up card: you can pick up any face-up card in a column, not just the bottom one. Every card lying on top of it comes along, whatever order they are in. Only the card you pick up has to fit.
- Kings in empty columns: only a King (with the cards on top of it) can go into an empty column.
- Turn over face-down cards: when you move the last face-up card off a face-down card, it is turned over for you.
- Up to the piles: the last card of a column can go up to its suit's pile when it is the next card that pile needs.
- Back down again: the top card of a pile can come back down onto a column, if it fits there.
How to move cards on this site
| Click or tap a card | It moves to the best place it can go: up to its pile if it can, otherwise onto another column. If it can't move, the game tells you which cards it is waiting for. |
|---|---|
| Drag a card | Hold the mouse button (or your finger) on a card and move it where you want it. The cards on top of it come along. The place it will land is outlined in yellow. |
| Undo | Takes back your last move. You can undo as many times as you like. |
| Hint | Shows you a good next move. The card to move and where it goes are outlined in yellow. |
| Pause | Stops the clock and hides the cards until you are ready to carry on. |
| Restart | Deals the exact same cards again, so you can have another go at the same game. |
When every card is face up and each column is in order, the game puts the cards up onto their piles for you. You can switch that off under Settings.
Yukon vs. Klondike Solitaire
| Yukon | Klondike (classic Solitaire) | |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | None, all 52 cards are on the table | 24 cards to turn over |
| Face-up cards at the start | 31 | 7 |
| Building the columns | Down, alternating colours | Down, alternating colours |
| Moving groups of cards | Any face-up card with everything on top of it | Only cards that are already in order |
| Empty columns | Kings only | Kings only |
If you enjoy Yukon, try classic Solitaire, or Scorpion Solitaire, which also lets you move any face-up card but builds each column in one suit.
Tips for winning at Yukon Solitaire
- Turn over the face-down cards. The 21 hidden cards are what usually holds you up, so free them first, starting with the columns on the right that hide the most.
- Look deep in the columns. The card you need may be in the middle of a column. Because you can move any face-up card, you can often lift the cards above it out of the way in one move.
- Plan for the Kings. A King can only go in an empty column, and a King buried on top of other cards blocks them. Try to empty a column when a King needs a home.
- Don't rush cards up to the piles. A low card on its pile is safe, but a 6 or 7 might still be needed in a column as a place to put a 5 or 6 of the other colour.
- Use Undo to explore. Undo has no penalty here, so try a move, see what it uncovers, and take it back if it doesn't help.
Yukon Solitaire questions and answers
Is this Yukon Solitaire game free?
Yes. Yukon Solitaire on Kitchen Table Cards is completely free. There is no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy.
What is the difference between Yukon and Klondike Solitaire?
Both games build the columns down in alternating colours and send each suit up to a pile from Ace to King. In Yukon there is no stock: all 52 cards are dealt onto the table at the start. And in Yukon you can move any face-up card together with all the cards on top of it, even if those cards are not in order.
Which cards can I move in Yukon?
Any face-up card in a column. All the cards lying on top of it move with it, in whatever order they are. The card you move must go on a card of the other colour that is one rank higher, for example the 6 of Hearts on the 7 of Spades or the 7 of Clubs.
What can go in an empty column in Yukon?
Only a King, together with any cards lying on top of it.
Is there a stock or draw pile in Yukon?
No. Every card is dealt into the seven columns at the start, so there is nothing to turn over and no luck of the draw. All the cards you need are already on the table; the skill is in getting to them.
Can I move a card back down from the piles in the top right?
Yes. The top card of each pile can be moved back onto a column if it fits there. Sometimes that gives you a place to put another card.
Can every game of Yukon Solitaire be won?
No. Some deals cannot be won however well you play, but many can. Use Undo to try different moves, Restart to play the same cards again, or start a new game.
What is Russian Solitaire?
Russian Solitaire is dealt exactly like Yukon, but the columns are built down in the same suit instead of in alternating colours. That makes it much harder. The game on this page is classic Yukon, with alternating colours.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your current game is saved automatically on your device. If you close the page and come back later, you can carry on where you left off.
Can I play Yukon Solitaire on a tablet or phone?
Yes. Tap a card and it moves to the best place it can go, or drag it with your finger. A tablet, or turning your phone sideways, gives you bigger cards.
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