Alaska Solitaire
Alaska Solitaire gives you two ways to move a card: onto the next higher or lower card of the same suit. An 8 of spades can go on a 7 or a 9 of spades. Play free in the board above, or use the examples below to get started. Your goal is to move all 52 cards to the four foundations.
How to play Alaska Solitaire
Alaska uses one standard deck and seven columns. Every card is already in the layout: there is no stock to draw from and no redeal. You work through the hidden cards by moving the face-up cards that cover them.
- Move within the same suit. Place a face-up card on an exposed card one rank higher or lower. An 8 of spades fits on a 7 or a 9 of spades, never on a heart, club or diamond.
- Take the attached cards along. You may select a card from inside a column. All cards after it, toward the exposed end, travel with it, even if their ranks and suits are mixed.
- Reveal the cards underneath. When you remove the last face-up card or group covering a hidden card, the game turns that hidden card over.
- Finish the foundations. Move exposed end cards to the four foundation spaces, one suit per space, from Ace through King. All 52 cards must reach them to win.
How are the cards dealt?
Column one starts with a single card, face up. Each later column shows five cards, backed by progressively more hidden cards: one in column two, increasing to six in column seven. That makes 21 hidden cards and 31 face-up cards. There are no cards left to draw.
Move one rank up or down
Look at the card you want to move and the exposed end card of another column. They must share a suit and differ by exactly one rank. The cards carried along with your selected card do not need to follow that order.
Jack is 11, Queen is 12 and King is 13. Ranks do not wrap: a King and an Ace cannot be placed on one another. A column does not have a fixed direction; each new move is checked on its own.
A mixed group can move together
Build from Ace to King
The two-way rule applies to the columns. On a foundation, start with an Ace and add the 2, 3 and so on, all in the same suit, through King. Only the exposed end card of a column can move to a foundation.
On this page, you cannot drag a foundation card back into a column. Undo can reverse a foundation move if you want to reconsider it.
Only Kings fill empty columns
An empty column accepts only a King, either alone or carrying attached cards. A Queen or a lower card cannot use the space as temporary storage.
Plan for the card you want to uncover
An upward move can free a hidden card, but it can also cover a lower card that you need for a foundation. Before moving, follow the whole group: what becomes exposed in its old column, and what becomes covered in its new one? A legal move is useful when it makes the next part of your plan possible.
Four habits to try
Start with one small goal, such as exposing a hidden card or reaching an Ace.
- Compare both landing ranks. For an 8 of clubs, check the 7 and 9 of clubs at the ends of the other columns. You may have one option, two, or neither.
- Trace the cards that will travel together. An out-of-order group can be moved legally, but it may cover a useful receiving card.
- Choose a King before making a space. Only a King can fill an empty column; prefer one whose move releases another card or group.
- Use Undo to compare the result. Going back to a previous position is often clearer than trying to picture several moves at once.
Help while you play
- Moving a card or group
- To make a manual move, drag the selected card onto its destination. If 1-Tap Move is on in Settings, you can tap instead and let the game pick a legal destination.
- Picking your own destination
- Turn off 1-Tap Move in Settings. Tap the card you want to move, then tap the destination. This is useful when both an upward and a downward move are available.
- Undo
- Step back after a move to try a different choice. Undo also restores a hidden card that the move turned over.
- Hint
- Highlight a suggested move when you need help finding a continuation. The search is limited, so a hint is not a guarantee of finishing the deal.
- Restart and New Game
- Open the game menu and choose Restart to retry the same deal from its beginning. New Game starts a different deal.
- Settings
- Choose from the available card, display and sound options. Use the appearance that is easiest for you to read.
Can I leave and continue later?
Your current Alaska position can be saved in this browser on this device when local storage is available. Come back with the same browser to continue. Clearing site data, or closing a private browsing session, can remove that saved position.
Watch how to play Alaska Solitaire
See the deal, same-suit moves in both directions, and how groups travel together.
Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds.
In this video
The final chapter quotes a solver estimate. It is not a measured player win rate or a guarantee for any deal.
Alaska, Russian and Yukon: which rule changes?
These three games share a deal, allow mixed groups to move and reserve empty columns for Kings. The receiving card is what changes. In Russian Solitaire, it must be one rank higher and the same suit. In Yukon Solitaire, it must be one rank higher and the opposite color. Alaska accepts one rank higher or lower, but always the same suit.
Prefer drawing new cards from a stock? Classic Solitaire uses that familiar arrangement. Alaska instead gives you the whole deal at once, with some cards waiting to be uncovered.
Alaska Solitaire questions
Can I build upward and downward in the same game?
Yes. Each move into a nonempty column is checked separately: the selected card must be the same suit and one rank away from the receiving card. You do not choose a permanent direction for a column. Foundations are different: they always build upward from Ace to King.
Can I move cards that are not in order?
Yes. Select any face-up card in a column and every card overlapping it toward the exposed end moves with it. Only the selected card has to match the destination. A foundation move is different: it takes just the exposed end card.
Can an Ace and a King go together?
No. Ranks do not wrap. In the columns, an Ace can land on a 2 of its suit and a King can land on a Queen of its suit. An empty column accepts a King, either alone or carrying a group.
Is Alaska Solitaire easier than Russian Solitaire?
Alaska allows every downward same-suit move that Russian allows, plus upward same-suit moves. This gives more legal options and means a deal solvable under Russian rules is also solvable under Alaska rules. It does not guarantee that a particular Alaska deal can be won or that each extra move is helpful.
Do the deals or hints guarantee a win?
No. Deals are randomly shuffled, and the hint search has a limit. A suggested move is help with the current position, not a promise of a win. If the search does not find a complete solution, that alone does not prove the deal is impossible. Solver results and human win rates are different measures; see our win-rate research for that distinction.
Is Alaska Solitaire free to play without downloading?
Yes. Play here in your web browser without installing an app or creating an account. Undo, Hint and the game settings are available on the board.
Try comparing two moves
Return to your board and choose a face-up card. Check for a receiving card of the same suit one rank above it and one rank below it. If both are available, try the move that uncovers something useful, then use Undo to compare the other result. There is no need to start a separate practice game.
