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Most folks know one or two versions of the game of Solitaire, and occasionally while away a lonely hour or two sharpening their skills. My grandmother used to entertain herself playing Solitaire, ranking it on the same level as crossword puzzles or a good book. Sometimes she babysat for us kids at our bungalow colony in the Catskills, and when we crept in at midnight, we were dismayed to find her still awake to witness the late hour. She pretended to be absorbed in the hand she’d dealt herself, but of course one eye had been on the door the whole time! Since the first mention of Solitaire dates back to the 1870s, it was well established by the time my grandmother was born.

How to Play Solitaire:

First some terminology: Use a full deck and remove all Jokers. Aces are the lowest card while Kings are the highest. Each game of Solitaire has a specific layout or tableau. Cards which are not a part of the tableau but are turned face up are called foundation cards. The object is to place cards on the foundation card piles, in an order which enables the player to see the top of each card (in an overlaying pattern.) Sometimes suits or colors are alternated (i.e. black, red, black, and red.) A place which is empty and just waiting for an acceptable card is called a space. A row of cards moving either upward or downward is called a file. Cards are drawn from a pile called the stock (this is he deck) and any drawn cards that are not useful at that moment are thrown into the discard pile. A card which is played is released and when cards are played according to the logic of the game, it is called building.

The most well-known game of Solitaire is “Klondike.” Seven stacks of cards are laid out (the file.) In the first stack, the card is placed face up, while in the other six, the card is face down. Then that pattern is repeated starting with the second stack, third, and so on, so that ultimately there are seven stacks, the first containing one card and the last seven, each with a face-up card on top. Within the file, Kings are the high cards and rows of alternating colors are built in descending order of rank (King, Queen, Jack, etc.) Then there are the foundation piles, which can only be started with an Ace and which are built up in ascending order: Ace, Two, Three, etc. There are four foundation piles, one for each suit. The idea is to draw cards from the deck, add them to the rows of stored cards (stacks,) and eventually transfer them to the foundation piles. Three cards are drawn from the deck at a time, but only the top card can be used to add to either the rows or foundation piles. Once the top card is used, the card under it becomes the top card and, in turn, it too can be used. Once the player has gone through the entire deck, it’s time to turn the deck over and go through it again, hopefully finding useful cards. Alternately, cards can be turned one at a time but in this case when the deck is finished, it’s finished: there’s no repeating! The game is won when and if all of the cards wind up in the suit-specific foundation piles, from Ace up to King.

If you are a Solitaire novice, it is best to start with the above game of Klondike. It’s the most well-known version of the game for a good reason: it is the easiest to play. Learn each version one at a time to avoid confusion. And if you want to get high-tech, there are plenty of free computer-based Solitaire games available: just surf the net! Relax into it and make it your favorite pastime, or use it as a time killer when you have one eye on the door, like my grandmother. You may just wind up getting wholly immersed and forget all about the kids or whoever else you’re waiting for, even though it’s well past midnight!