Russian Solitaire is a challenging single-deck card game in the patience (solitaire) family. It’s a Yukon-style variant of solitaire, meaning all cards are dealt into the layout at the start with no draw pile, and you can move groups of cards freely on the tableau. The game gets its name from its unique twist: unlike classic Klondike solitaire (the common “Solitaire” game) where you build alternating red-black sequences, in Russian Solitaire you must build down in descending order by suit, which makes it more difficult than many other solitaire games. This mix of familiar gameplay and added difficulty has made Russian Solitaire a favorite of seasoned solitaire players looking for a new challenge, as well as an intriguing option for casual gamers exploring different solitaire variations.
Brief History of Russian Solitaire
The exact origins of Russian Solitaire are a bit murky. It likely appeared in the mid-20th century, around the same era that the Yukon solitaire variant was popularized. In fact, Russian Solitaire is often considered a sister game to Yukon – the two games share a very similar layout and mechanics, with the key difference being Russian Solitaire’s stricter “build by suit” rule. Some speculate that Russian Solitaire may have emerged organically as players experimented with Yukon by removing the color-alternation rule.
Fun Fact: Don’t let the name confuse you – Russian Solitaire as described here is not known to have a specific origin in Russia. The name was likely given to distinguish it from other solitaire variants. (Historically, some completely different games were once called “Russian Solitaire” or “Russian Patience,” but today the name refers to this Yukon-like game.)
Despite its unclear beginnings, Russian Solitaire has stood the test of time and is now a well-known variant included in many solitaire collections. Its reputation for difficulty (more on that later) has made it popular among enthusiasts seeking a tough puzzle to solve.
Russian Solitaire Rules and Objective
Objective: Like most solitaire games, the goal in Russian Solitaire is to build up four foundation piles (one per suit) from Ace to King, ultimately moving all cards from the tableau to these foundations. Essentially, you win by organizing all 52 cards by suit into ascending order in the foundation piles, starting each pile with an Ace and ending with a King.
Setup: Russian Solitaire is played with one standard 52-card deck. To begin, deal seven tableau piles across the playing area, with the number of cards in each pile increasing from left to right (the leftmost pile has 1 card, the next has 2 cards, and so on up to 7 cards in the rightmost pile). Typically, in the initial deal the top card of each pile is face-up (accessible for play) and any cards beneath are face-down. After this initial layout, deal four additional cards face-up onto each of the six rightmost piles (piles 2 through 7). This uses up all 52 cards, and usually there is no stock or draw pile left – all cards are now in the tableau. The four foundation spots are left empty, waiting for Aces to be placed when available.
An example of the starting layout in Russian Solitaire. All 52 cards are dealt into 7 tableau piles, and the goal is to move them to the four foundations (on the right) starting with Aces. In Russian Solitaire, tableau builds must follow suit in descending order, which greatly limits where cards can be moved compared to easier solitaire games.
Tableau Rules: On the tableau (the seven piles), you can build sequences downward by suit only. This means you can place a card only onto a next-higher card of the same suit. For example, you can move a 8♥ onto a 9♥, but not onto a 9♣ or 9♠ (and unlike Klondike, you cannot place it on a 9 of opposite color either). Because of this restriction, valid moves are much more limited, and planning is crucial.
You are allowed to move groups of cards as a unit, even if the group is not in perfect sequence. In Russian Solitaire (as in Yukon), any face-up card can be picked up and moved along with all the cards on top of it as one block. The only requirement is that the card at the head of the group you’re moving can legally be placed onto the destination card (i.e. it is one rank lower and the same suit as the target). All cards above that head card simply come along for the ride, even if they themselves are not in order. This rule adds flexibility – you don’t have to have a perfectly sequenced stack to move part of it – but every move still has to obey the descending-suit sequence where it lands.
Moving to Foundations: Whenever an Ace becomes available (face-up with no cards on top of it), you should move it to start a foundation pile. On the foundations, you build upward in suit: Ace, 2, 3, ... up to King. Only Aces can start a foundation, and you can then add the 2 of the same suit, then 3, etc. Ultimately, to win, all four foundation piles should show sequences from Ace through King in each suit.
Empty Columns: If you clear a tableau column (i.e. move all its cards away), that space can only be filled by a King or a group of cards headed by a King. This is similar to many solitaire games – only a King (the highest rank) can occupy an empty pile because sequences are built downward from King. Be cautious with empty columns: leaving an empty space open without a King to place can actually reduce your available moves.
In summary, the rules make Russian Solitaire a tight, strategic game. You see almost all the cards from the start (after dealing, nearly all cards are face-up or will be uncovered quickly), but the requirement to build down by suit creates a puzzle where many deals are extremely difficult to solve.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Play Russian Solitaire
If you’re new to Russian Solitaire, follow these steps to learn how to play:
Deal the Cards / Setup: Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal out the seven tableau piles. Pile 1 gets 1 card, pile 2 gets 2 cards, ... up to pile 7 with 7 cards. Make sure the top card of each pile is face-up. Then deal 4 extra face-up cards onto each pile 2 through 7, so that all cards are now on the table and ready for play (with many cards face-up). Set aside four foundation spots above or beside the tableau – these start empty and will be filled by Aces as the game progresses.
Start Foundations with Aces: Scan the tableau for any Aces that are face-up. If a face-up Ace is available (i.e. not buried under another card), move it to an empty foundation pile immediately. This is the first step toward your objective of building all suits from Ace to King. As you uncover more Aces during play, move them to foundations as well.
Build on the Tableau: Look for any legal moves among the face-up cards on the tableau. Remember, you can place a card on another card that is one rank higher and of the same suit. For example, if you see a 7♣ and elsewhere a 8♣ is face-up, you can move the 7♣ onto the 8♣. When you move a card, you’re allowed to pick up that card and any cards on top of it as one group. So if that 7♣ had other cards on top in its pile, you’d move the whole stack starting at 7♣. After moving cards, turn face-up any new card that gets uncovered in a tableau pile.
Keep Exposing Hidden Cards: Focus on revealing face-down cards whenever possible. If moving a certain card (or stack) will uncover a face-down card beneath it, that’s usually a good move. The more cards you flip face-up, the more options you’ll have. Each newly revealed card might enable additional moves or allow you to transfer it to a foundation if it’s the next in sequence.
Use Empty Columns Wisely: If you clear a column (leaving an empty space), only a King or a sequence starting with a King can be moved into that spot. If you have a loose King available (or a stack starting with a King), you can place it in the empty column to free up space elsewhere. Tip: Don’t empty a pile unless you have a useful King ready to drop in; an empty space with no King to fill it is wasted potential.
Build Foundations & Continue Play: Continue building the foundation piles whenever you can. For each foundation, you must add the next higher card of the same suit (e.g. on an Ace♥, you can place 2♥, then 3♥, and so on up to King♥). Keep scanning the tableau for moves that follow the descending-suit rule, and keep transferring cards to the foundations when they fit. Because you can move groups of cards, sometimes moving a whole stack will suddenly make another card available to play or to move to a foundation.
Game End – Win or Stuck: The game ends when you either win (all cards are successfully moved to the foundations) or you reach a point where no further moves are possible. Don’t be discouraged if you get stuck – wins are notoriously rare in Russian Solitaire. Simply shuffle and start a new game, or use the experience to plan differently next time.
Following these steps will help you understand the flow of Russian Solitaire. Next, let’s look at some strategies to improve your chances of winning this tough game.
Tips and Strategies for Winning Russian Solitaire
Winning Russian Solitaire is difficult – in fact, only a small percentage of deals are winnable. But skillful play can increase your odds. Here are some tips and strategies to boost your success:
Prioritize Uncovering Cards: Focus on freeing face-down cards as early as possible. Every move that exposes a hidden card is valuable because it opens up new potential moves. Conversely, moves that don’t eventually lead to revealing a new card or building a foundation pile should be low priority, since they may just shuffle cards around without progress.
Move Aces and Twos to Foundations Quickly: Get low cards onto the foundations whenever feasible. Moving Aces (and then 2s) to the foundation immediately is crucial – it clears them out of the tableau and creates opportunities to play other cards. Similarly, if a 2 of a suit is available and its Ace is already in the foundation, move that 2 up. This frees space and keeps the foundations growing.
Plan Several Moves Ahead: Because you can move groups of cards, try to anticipate the cascade of moves that will follow. Before making a move, ask yourself “Will this help uncover a hidden card or free up a needed card?” Think about the order of moves – sometimes moving one stack temporarily can clear the way to reach a buried card, after which you might move things back. Avoid moves that lead to dead ends where important cards get trapped under sequences that can’t be moved.
Don’t Empty a Column Without a King Ready: As mentioned, only Kings can fill empty tableau columns. An empty column is powerful because placing a King (and its attached sequence) there can open up new moves. But if you empty a column when you don’t have a free King to immediately occupy it, you’ve effectively lost a tableau pile, which can severely limit your maneuverability. Try to time your moves so that whenever you clear a pile, you can promptly move a King (or a king-led sequence) into that space.
Keep Suit Sequences in Mind: Always remember that sequences must stay in the same suit. This means you should be very mindful of where, for example, all the hearts are in your tableau. If you have a 9♣ buried and the 10♣ is on top of another pile, you know you ultimately want to free that 9♣ and move it under the 10♣. Keep track of each suit’s sequence progression – sometimes you might hold off a move because it would block a needed card of that suit.
Use Undo and Hints (If Available): If you’re playing Russian Solitaire on a digital platform, take advantage of features like undo and hint. Undo lets you backtrack and try a different sequence of moves if you find yourself stuck, which is great for learning new strategies. Hints can point out moves you might have missed. While you shouldn’t rely on hints constantly, they can teach you patterns of moves common in Russian Solitaire.
Even with perfect play, remember that Russian Solitaire has a very low win rate. Don’t be frustrated by losses – consider each game a puzzle to enjoy. With practice, you’ll start recognizing which moves tend to lead to better outcomes.
Fun Facts and Interesting Insights about Russian Solitaire
One of the Hardest Solitaire Games: Russian Solitaire is famously difficult to win. On average, only about 5% of deals are won by typical players. Even skilled players can only win roughly 10–20% of the time at best. In fact, in a ranking of solitaire game difficulty, Russian Solitaire was listed among the top three hardest solitaire games, with an estimated win rate of only ~3%! This high level of challenge is a badge of honor for the game – if you manage to win, it’s quite an achievement.
Yukon Heritage: Russian Solitaire is essentially a variant of Yukon, a game named after the Yukon territory (famous for its Gold Rush). Yukon itself is an early 20th-century solitaire game. Russian Solitaire’s twist of requiring same-suit sequences takes Yukon’s concept and makes it even tougher. For this reason, you’ll sometimes see Russian Solitaire referred to as a “suit sequence Yukon” in solitaire collections.
No Stock, All Open Information: Unlike Klondike Solitaire (where you have a draw pile and many face-down cards), Russian Solitaire deals all cards into the tableau at the start, and most cards are face-up or will be face-up after the initial dealing sequence. This means the game is less about luck of drawing cards and more about skill in maneuvering them. However, “open” does not mean “easy” – the suit restriction more than makes up for the open layout by limiting the moves you can make.
Related Variants: There are a few interesting offshoots of Russian Solitaire. Double Russian Solitaire uses two decks and ten tableau columns, essentially scaling up the challenge (it has an even lower win rate, below 4%). Alaska Solitaire is another closely related variant – it’s like Russian Solitaire but allows you to build sequences both up and down by suit (e.g. you could place a 9♠ on a 10♠ or on an 8♠). This makes Alaska slightly more flexible than Russian, though still very challenging. Both games, along with Australian Patience and others, belong to the same family of Yukon-style solitaires.
Modern Popularity: Thanks to its inclusion in many digital solitaire collections and websites, Russian Solitaire has a modest but devoted fan base. It’s less known than easier games like Spider or FreeCell, but you’ll find it on most big solitaire sites and apps. Its reputation for difficulty means it’s often recommended to players who have mastered other solitaire games and are seeking a new test of skill.
Where to Play Russian Solitaire Online
One of the great things about Russian Solitaire being available online is that you can try as many games as you want without needing a physical deck – and you’ll likely need many attempts to secure a win! There are several sites where you can enjoy Russian Solitaire for free:
- SolitaireX.io – Play Russian Solitaire Free: A highly recommended option is SolitaireX.io. This site offers Russian Solitaire (and other solitaire variants) right in your browser with no download needed. The interface is user-friendly, and you can undo moves or get hints, which is very handy for a game as challenging as Russian Solitaire. SolitaireX.io keeps things simple and clean, making it perfect for both beginners and experienced players. (To play Russian Solitaire on SolitaireX, just navigate to their solitaire games collection and select “Russian Solitaire.”)
Try It Yourself: Now that you know the rules and strategies, why not give Russian Solitaire a try? It’s one thing to read about it, but the best way to appreciate this game’s unique challenge is to play a few rounds. Head over to SolitaireX.io and start a game of Russian Solitaire. See how you fare against this notoriously tricky patience game. Good luck, and have fun sharpening your solitaire skills!