Five Bridges Solitaire is a fun, modern solitaire card game that puts a unique twist on the classic Tri‑Peaks variant. Imagine five little “mountains” of cards lined up, with single-card bridges connecting each peak. Instead of the usual three peaks in Tri‑Peaks, you now have five to clear – meaning more cards to play and more opportunities for clever moves. This game is easy to learn but offers an extra layer of strategy and excitement for players who love solitaire. Best of all, it can be played online for free at solitaireX.io (no download or sign-up required), so you can jump in and start playing in your browser anytime. In this post, we’ll explore the history of Five Bridges Solitaire, how it originated, the rules and gameplay, some winning strategies, and a few fun facts about this unique online solitaire game.
History of Five Bridges Solitaire
Five Bridges Solitaire is a modern variant of Tri‑Peaks Solitaire, which itself was created by Robert Hogue in 1989. Tri‑Peaks (also known as Three Peaks or Tri Towers) became popular after being included in Microsoft’s Windows solitaire game packs in the early 90s, and its inventor designed it with the idea that new layouts and variants could be developed by the community. Over time, his idea proved true – Tri‑Peaks spawned many creative offshoots and tweaks to its layout and rules. Five Bridges likely emerged in the digital era as one of these fun new twists – essentially “Tri‑Peaks on steroids,” adding two extra peaks connected by bridging cards for a greater challenge. There’s no single famous inventor credited for Five Bridges; rather, it grew out of the online solitaire community’s love of experimentation and increased difficulty. Sites like SolitaireX and others helped popularize Five Bridges Solitaire by bringing it to a wide audience of players looking for something beyond the standard solitaire fare. In short, Five Bridges is part of the evolving game-design legacy of Tri‑Peaks – taking a classic and making it bigger and bolder for modern players.
How to Play Five Bridges Solitaire (Rules & Gameplay)
At the start of a Five Bridges Solitaire game, the tableau (playing field) is set up with five overlapping pyramids of face-down cards (the “peaks”), each connected by a single face-up bridge card linking one peak to the next. The image below shows a typical starting layout with the five peaks and their bridge cards ready to play. The remaining cards form a stock pile (draw pile), and one card from the stock is usually flipped face-up to start the waste pile (also known as the discard pile). Your goal is simple: clear all the cards from the five peaks by moving them to the waste pile through valid moves.
Layout & Deal: The game uses one standard 52-card deck. Five Bridges Solitaire begins with five small pyramids of cards laid out on the table, plus a single face-up bridge card between each pair of adjacent peaks (for a total of four bridge cards in the middle row). All peak cards start face-down except those in the bottom row of each pyramid (and the bridge cards, which start face-up). The rest of the deck is set aside as the stock, and one card from the stock is dealt face-up to form the starting waste pile (foundation). This waste pile card is the starting point for your moves. (Think of the layout as five Tri‑Peaks in a row with extra cards connecting them – more cards on the board means more to clear!)
Removing Cards (One Higher or Lower): You can move any exposed card from the tableau (any face-up card with no card covering it) onto the waste pile if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the current top card of the waste, regardless of suit. For example, if the waste pile’s top card is an 8, you can play a 7 or a 9 from the peaks onto it. Suits don’t matter, and you can go up or down in sequence. Notably, Aces are special – they can count as either high or low, meaning you can place an Ace on a 2 or on a King as needed (they “wrap around” in either direction). Kings are high cards (you can play a Queen on a King, or an Ace on a King since Ace can be low), and 2s are low (you can play an Ace or a 3 on a 2). Every time you remove a card from the tableau, you’re one step closer to clearing those peaks!
Revealing Hidden Cards: Removing a card from a peak will flip over any card directly underneath it that is no longer covered. In Five Bridges, this means whenever you clear a card, you might uncover a hidden card in the pyramid or “unlock” the next bridge or peak card connected to it. Those newly exposed cards become available for play immediately. Always be on the lookout for moves that will uncover new cards – a big part of the strategy is choosing moves that reveal the most hidden cards, giving you more options for subsequent plays. For instance, if you have a choice, play a card that will flip two face-down cards rather than one, since it increases your chances of continuing the sequence.
Using the Stock (Draw Pile): If you run out of moves with the cards currently exposed on the board, you can tap or click the stock pile to flip the next card over to the waste pile. This new card becomes the top of the waste and the active card you can play off. You continue this process whenever you’re stuck: draw a card, then see what moves you can make. Important: In Five Bridges Solitaire, just like Tri‑Peaks, you typically only get one pass through the deck – there are no redeals. This means you should use your stock cards wisely. If the stock runs out and you still have face-up cards that can’t be played, the game will end. So try not to draw from the deck unless you truly have no available moves on the tableau. Every time you flip a stock card, it will also reset any streak of consecutive moves you had, so it’s best to only draw when necessary.
Winning (Clear the Peaks): You win the game when you have cleared all the cards from the five peaks (and the bridge cards) onto the waste pile. If you manage to remove every card from the tableau before the stock is exhausted, congratulations – you’ve conquered all five bridges! 🎉 On the other hand, if you reach a point where the stock pile is empty and you still have cards on the board that you cannot play, the game is lost. Don’t worry – Five Bridges Solitaire is challenging, and not every deal is winnable, but with smart play you’ll win a good percentage of the time. Tip: Since there’s no redeal, the key to winning is to maximize the cards you remove in each run and uncover as much as possible early on, so you’re not dependent on luck from the stock in the late game.
Strategies and Tips for Winning Five Bridges Solitaire
Five Bridges Solitaire may have more cards than a traditional Tri‑Peaks game, but you can still improve your odds of winning by using some smart strategies. Here’s a breakdown of tips for beginners and intermediate players to help conquer those five peaks:
Reveal Cards Whenever You Can: Try to make moves that uncover hidden cards as a priority. The more face-down cards you flip face-up, the more options you’ll have available. For example, if you see a move that will open up two new cards versus another move that opens none, take the one that reveals more cards. Opening up the tableau gives you flexibility and often creates new sequences you wouldn’t otherwise see.
Build Long Runs (Streaks): Whenever possible, string together a long sequence of plays without drawing from the stock. In other words, play card after card in a row (e.g. 8, 7, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... and so on) if you can. Not only does this clear a lot of cards in one go, but many online versions (and scoring systems) reward longer runs with extra points or bonuses. It’s also just deeply satisfying to sweep a huge chain of cards off the board in one streak! To maximize your run length, avoid clicking the deck too early and look for cards on the tableau that can continue your sequence.
Focus on One Peak at a Time: It might be tempting to bounce around between the five different peaks, but a good strategy is to work methodically on clearing one pile/peak completely before moving to the next (when possible). By emptying one whole peak, you’ll flip over all its hidden cards at once, which can give you a bunch of new moves. This systematic approach can be more effective than removing a single card from each peak and not actually freeing up new ones. That said, always keep an eye on the overall board – if one peak is stuck behind a bridge card, you may need to clear an adjacent peak to remove that bridge. In general, though, clearing an entire small pyramid will usually reward you with a flurry of fresh moves.
Use the Stock Wisely: The stock (draw pile) is your safety net when no other moves are available, but don’t rush to use it. Every time you draw from the stock, any ongoing run ends, and you might be “wasting” a card that could have extended your streak. Try to only draw a new card when you have absolutely no moves left on the tableau. Before flipping a stock card, double-check that you haven’t overlooked a possible play. By conserving the stock, you give yourself the best chance to keep any sequence going and to save those precious draws for when you really need them.
Remember Aces are Flexible: An Ace in Five Bridges Solitaire can act as the low card or the high card in the sequence. This means you can place an Ace on a 2 or on a King, whichever helps continue your run. Use this flexibility to your advantage. For example, if the waste pile shows a 2, you could play an Ace (treating it as a 1 below 2); if the waste shows a King, you can also play an Ace (treating it as one step above King). This wrap-around ability can get you out of tight spots. Tip: Don’t remove an Ace just because it’s there – consider whether you might need it as a bridge between high and low cards later on.
Think Ahead and Plan Moves: Just like in chess, a little foresight goes a long way in solitaire. Before you make a move, take a second to see what card will be revealed and how it might help (or hinder) your progress. Sometimes a move is immediately available but isn’t the best choice if it leads to a dead end. For instance, you might have two possible cards to play on the waste pile – one might unveil a useful card underneath, while the other might reveal nothing helpful. Choose the move that sets you up for future success. Planning a couple of moves in advance and considering “if I remove this card, what will happen next?” can save you from getting stuck. And if you do have an Undo feature available (some online games allow it), don’t be afraid to use it to backtrack if you realize a sequence of moves led to a bad position.
By using these strategies – exposing hidden cards, making long runs, clearing peaks systematically, conserving your stock, leveraging Aces, and thinking ahead – you’ll greatly increase your chances of winning. Five Bridges Solitaire has an element of luck in the deal, but smart play can often overcome a tough layout!
Fun Facts and Trivia
Tri‑Peaks Origin: Five Bridges is based on Tri‑Peaks Solitaire, a relatively modern solitaire game invented in 1989 by Robert Hogue. Tri‑Peaks was later bundled in a Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows, which helped introduce it to millions of players and boost its popularity. It’s interesting to note that unlike classics such as Klondike (which date back to the 19th century), Tri‑Peaks was a late 20th-century creation – truly a product of the computer age.
Community-Inspired Variant: There’s no official inventor for Five Bridges Solitaire – it wasn’t published in old card game books or attributed to a single designer. Instead, this variant evolved from the online solitaire community experimenting with new layouts and sharing them on websites. The name “Five Bridges” comes from the five bridge cards linking the peaks, which is a pretty literal description of its layout! If you enjoy Five Bridges, you have the creativity of solitaire enthusiasts to thank.
Winnability: While not every game of Five Bridges can be won, Tri‑Peaks variants in general have a high rate of solvable deals. In fact, the inventor of Tri‑Peaks computed that over 90% of Tri‑Peaks deals are winnable with perfect play. That means most games have a solution if you make the right moves (though finding that perfect sequence is the real challenge!). So if a deal in Five Bridges seems impossible, don’t give up – shuffle up and try again, because odds are the next one can be beaten with some skill and luck.
Conclusion – Try Five Bridges Solitaire Online
Whether you’re a seasoned solitaire veteran or just looking for a new card game to pass the time, Five Bridges Solitaire offers a fresh and engaging challenge. Its blend of simple rules and strategic depth makes it a great way to unwind while keeping your mind sharp. The casual, friendly gameplay will appeal to anyone who loves games like Tri‑Peaks, Pyramid, or Spider, but the added bridges and peaks give it a unique flair that sets it apart from the usual solitaire games.
Ready to test your skills and have some fun? 🤗 Give Five Bridges Solitaire a try for yourself on solitaireX.io! You can play it free in your browser by visiting solitaireX.io and finding Five Bridges Solitaire (no download or registration required). Challenge yourself to clear all five peaks, and see if you can build an epic streak of card clears. We invite you to cross those five bridges and enjoy this exciting online solitaire game. Good luck, and happy card playing! 🃏🎉