Yukon Solitaire

Game Description: Try to build the 4 suits from Ace to King in this skillful, and challenging, solitaire game.

How to Play Yukon Solitaire:

• Yukon Solitaire is a card game played with a standard deck of 52 cards.
• There are 4 foundation piles at the top, one for each suit.
• There are 7 tableau piles (the lower 7 piles).
• Each game begins with all 52 cards dealt to the 7 tableau piles.
• 31 cards are dealt face up and 21 cards are dealt face down in overlapping style.
• Any face up card in the tableau may be moved to the bottom of another pile if that card is one card lower in rank and if it is a different color. For example if the bottom card of a pile shows a black seven, either of the two red sixes may be moved on top of the black seven.
• Each time a card is moved from one tableau pile to another, all of the cards that are below it will also be moved. (Note this distinction. When you move a card from one tableau pile to another, all of the cards below that card will be moved as a unit. The cards do not have to be in any type of numerical sequence in order to be moved. They will move simply by the fact that they are below the card you are moving).
• To move cards in this game you simply drag them.
• When the last face up card of a pile is moved, you must click on the next face down card to turn it over. (Yukon Solitaire, unlike most card games, does not do this for you automatically).
• Only Kings may be moved to an empty pile. When you move a King, all of the other cards that are below it will also be moved.
• Only the bottom card of each tableau pile may be moved to a foundation pile.
• Your goal is to build each foundation pile from Ace to King with cards of the same suit.
• Score 500 points for each card that you are able to move to a foundation pile.
• A winning score is 26,000 points (52 cards x 500).
• If you are ready to throw in the towel and give up, click the 'Give up' button at the bottom and start a new game.

Yukon Solitaire Game Options:

• The game sounds may be turned on or off by clicking the microphone icon located at the lower right corner.

Yukon Solitaire Playing Tips:

• I think the tendency for people who are just learning Yukon Solitaire may be to give up too soon. Before giving up, try moving the cards around a little. Just one move can sometimes turn the entire game around!
• A top priority is to try to overturn as many face down cards as possible. In fact, if you are able to overturn all 21 face down cards you will certainly win the game. It then just becomes a simple matter of moving the cards around.
• Another important factor is getting the four Aces up to the foundation piles so you can begin building the foundations.
• Moving the four Kings to empty piles will certainly increase your chances of winning. This is probably more important than most people realize.
• As a pile gathers more cards, the cards get squeezed together and become smaller and sometimes difficult to see. Yukon Solitaire has a nifty solution to this. As you hover your mouse over each card it gets bigger and easier to read. So, don't forget to hover when needed.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: As with all card games, Yukon Solitaire is of course part luck and part skill. Although I am not a mathematician, I am reasonably sure that there are some hands that are probably impossible, or nearly impossible, to win. But once you learn to play the game and get comfortable with it, I would venture to guess that you will probably win a majority of your games. That is not to say that Yukon Solitaire is easy to win. It can certainly be challenging, and requires a certain amount of patience and persistence.