Double Alaska Solitaire

Double Alaska Solitaire is a challenging two-deck card game in the Yukon solitaire family. In fact, it’s essentially a two-deck version of Alaska Solitaire (104 cards) – a variant derived from the classic Yukon rules. What sets Double Alaska apart is a key twist: you can build sequences both downwards and upwards by suit during play, giving it more flexible gameplay than many other solitaire games. Despite using two full decks, Double Alaska is actually quite winnable; in contrast to single-deck Alaska’s punishing ~5% win rate, Double Alaska boasts roughly a 70% win rate for an experienced player. This high win probability (and the fact that winning is “mostly determined by skill”) makes it a rewarding choice for players who enjoy strategic solitaire. You can play Double Alaska Solitaire online for free at SolitaireX.io – no download needed – via the official Double Alaska Solitaire game page. Double Alaska is part of the Yukon solitaire group of games, so you’ll find it listed alongside related variants like Yukon, Russian, and Double Yukon in our Yukon Solitaire games collection.

History and Origins of Double Alaska Solitaire

Double Alaska Solitaire does not have roots in 19th-century card tables or old rulebooks – it’s a modern variant that emerged from the digital era. Its parent game, Alaska Solitaire, first appeared in the mid-1990s as an added variant in Thomas Warfield’s Pretty Good Solitaire software (version 2.2 in 1996). Alaska was essentially “invented in software” and spread to other collections thereafter, and Double Alaska likely followed suit as a logical two-deck extension. In many solitaire collections, once a single-deck game gains popularity, programmers create “double” or even “triple” deck versions for added variety – Double Alaska was born from this trend. There’s no single credited inventor; instead, it evolved as an outgrowth of Alaska/Yukon, probably first implemented in computer solitaire packages in the late 1990s or 2000s. The naming is straightforward: it continues the Yukon/Klondike tradition of naming solitaire games after cold northern locales. Just as Yukon Solitaire is named for the Yukon territory and Alaska Solitaire for the state of Alaska, Double Alaska simply denotes a larger version of Alaska Solitaire (with two decks). In short, Double Alaska Solitaire’s “history” is tied to the rise of computer solitaire—a product of modern game collections rather than a vintage parlor game.

How to Play Double Alaska Solitaire (Rules)

Double Alaska Solitaire uses two standard 52-card decks shuffled together (104 cards total). All cards are dealt into the tableau at the start of the game – there is no stock pile to draw from. The layout consists of eight foundation piles at the top and ten tableau columns below them:

• Foundations: There are 8 foundation piles (since two decks have two of each suit’s Ace). The goal is to move all cards here. Each foundation is built up in suit from Ace to King. That means once an Ace is placed, you’ll continue adding the 2, 3, 4, and so on of the same suit on that pile, up to King. You win when all eight foundations show complete sequences A♣→K♣, A♦→K♦, etc. Notably, some versions of Double Alaska allow even more flexibility – once a card is on a foundation, the top foundation card can be moved back down to the tableau if needed to help build sequences. This is different from Klondike-style games and gives you extra options to reorganize. Generally, though, you should move cards to the foundations whenever it makes sense and especially get Aces up as soon as they become available.

• Tableau Layout: The tableau has 10 columns. At the initial deal, cards are distributed in a Yukon-like pattern: the leftmost column starts with 1 card (dealt face up), the second column gets 2 cards (bottom one face down, top one face up), the third gets 3, and so on up to the tenth column with 10 cards (bottom nine face down, top card face up). Then additional cards are dealt to each column – typically the first column receives 4 more face-up cards, and each of columns 2 through 10 gets 5 more face-up cards. By the end of the deal, each column has 5 face-up cards on top, sitting on a stack of any remaining face-down cards (the first column ends up with 5 cards all face-up, and the rightmost column has 15 cards with 5 up and 10 down, for example). All face-down cards will be revealed as you play – whenever you clear a face-up card that was covering a face-down card, the hidden card is flipped face-up automatically and becomes playable.

Illustration: A game of Double Alaska Solitaire in progress using two decks. All 104 cards are dealt into 10 tableau piles from the start. Only the top cards of each pile are face-up initially, but you can reveal hidden cards by moving those top cards to other piles or foundations. The objective is to move every card to one of the eight foundation piles at the top.

• Tableau Building Rules: On the tableau, cards can be stacked both downward and upward by suit – this is the signature rule of Alaska/Double Alaska. You can place a card onto another card if it is exactly one rank higher or one rank lower and of the same suit. For example, a 9♣ can be placed on a 10♣ (one rank down, same suit) or on an 8♣ (one rank up, same suit). This up-or-down flexibility by suit is what makes Double Alaska so interesting. By contrast, in Russian Solitaire you could only build down by suit, and in classic Yukon you build down by alternating color – Double Alaska gives you both directions, but requires matching suits. When moving cards around, you can take any face-up card and move it, along with all the cards on top of it in that column, as a single group. This means even if the cards above it aren’t in sequence, they get carried along. The move is legal as long as the card you’re moving (the lower card of the group) can be placed on the destination by the suit + one-rank rule. All the lifted cards stay in the same order as they were; you’re basically relocating a chunk of the column. This ability (borrowed from Yukon rules) is powerful – it lets you reposition stacks to free hidden cards. Empty columns in the tableau can only be filled by a King or a group of cards starting with a King. Only a King is high enough to occupy an empty space, so whenever you clear a pile, try to fill that space with a King (or a King-led sequence) to make the most of the new room. No other card can be placed into an empty column except a King. This rule is the same as in Yukon and many other solitaire games.

To summarize the gameplay: you are trying to expose face-down cards and move cards around so that eventually all Aces get to foundations, then 2s, 3s, etc., up to Kings. You will drag cards (single or groups) among the tableau columns following the suit sequence rule (up or down). Whenever an Ace is free, move it to an empty foundation to start a new pile. Build foundation piles upward in suit. If you get a column empty, put a King there to free up more moves. Keep doing this until all cards migrate to the foundations. Double Alaska has no stock pile to deal additional cards, so the challenge (and fun) comes entirely from how you rearrange the tableau. The dual-direction building allows some creative moves that aren’t possible in stricter games. With practice, you’ll learn to spot sequences that free important hidden cards and sequence many cards to the foundations.

Tips and Tricks for Winning Double Alaska Solitaire

Even with a high theoretical win rate, Double Alaska can be tricky if you don’t plan your moves. Here are some strategy tips to improve your success rate and make the most of this game’s unique rules:

• Reveal face-down cards early. Always prioritize uncovering hidden face-down cards whenever possible. Every face-down card you flip open expands your options for moves, so make moves that expose a face-down card first if you can. The faster you can get all cards face-up, the better your chances of finding key moves to solve the game.

• Use empty columns (and Kings) to your advantage. An empty tableau pile is a powerful asset – since only a King (or a sequence starting with a King) can fill an empty spot, clearing a column gives you a place to park a King that might be blocking other cards. Whenever you clear a whole column, immediately fill that space with a King if one is available, especially if that King was covering important face-down cards. Creating empty columns and moving Kings out of the way will free up buried cards and open new avenues for arranging sequences.

• Build downward before upward. Take advantage of the ability to build in both directions, but try to make all the useful downward moves first before building cards upward. Descending moves (placing lower-ranked cards on higher-ranked ones) tend to clear cards out of the way and reveal hidden cards. If you build everything upward too soon (moving cards onto lower-ranked ones), you might end up with long ascending sequences that don’t actually uncover new cards. In short, don’t rush to build up sequences unless it helps; focus on freeing cards and opening spaces via downward moves.

• Don’t over-build the foundations too quickly. It’s satisfying to move cards to the foundations, but be careful not to let one foundation get too far ahead of the others. If you pile up a lot of cards on one foundation early, you might strip the tableau of the cards you need to build other sequences. Always ask yourself if moving a card to the foundation will make it impossible to maneuver the remaining cards. It can be wise to delay moving a card to the foundation if it could be used in the tableau to free a hidden card. (Remember: in some versions you can pull a card back from the foundation, but it’s best not to rely on that unless absolutely necessary.)

• Leverage the “Yukon move” (group moves). You can move a whole stack of cards in one go, even if they’re not in perfect order, as long as the top card of that stack can legally land on the destination. Use this to dig out buried cards: for instance, if a valuable card is stuck in the middle of a column, see if you can move the cards above it onto another column or into an empty spot. Moving large blocks of cards around is an advanced tactic that lets you rearrange the tableau in ways beginners often overlook. Always be on the lookout for a partial column you can relocate to free up a key card underneath.

• Make use of skill and plan ahead. Double Alaska is categorized as “mostly skill”, meaning your decisions significantly impact the outcome. Take your time and think a few moves ahead. Try to visualize how moving one card or sequence will affect the overall layout. Because there’s little randomness after the deal (no stock turnovers), the game is like a puzzle – often there’s a logical sequence of moves needed to solve it. If you’re playing digitally, don’t hesitate to use the Undo button to test different move orders. With practice, you’ll start recognizing common patterns (for example, how to free a certain buried card or when to clear a column for a King). Every game you lose is a learning opportunity, and every game you win will reinforce effective strategies.

By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll greatly increase your chances of success in Double Alaska Solitaire. The combination of Yukon-style group moves and the up-or-down building flexibility means there can be a lot going on, so a thoughtful approach pays off. Experienced players love this variant because it offers a high win rate and a strategic challenge – a rare and satisfying mix for solitaire fans.

Now it’s your turn to try Double Alaska Solitaire yourself! With its intriguing rules and rewarding gameplay, this two-deck solitaire variant is a must-play for anyone who enjoys Yukon-type games. Head over to SolitaireX.io and start a game on the Double Alaska Solitaire page to put your new knowledge into practice. Good luck, and have fun mastering this icy-cool solitaire classic!