YOURGAMES · PLAYER-PROBLEM GUIDE
Solitaire Strategy When No Moves Are Available
Diagnose stuck Klondike positions by rescanning legal moves, recovering foundation cards, managing waste cycles, and opening useful columns.
Rules checked against the playable version · Updated September 8, 2026
A Klondike position that looks stuck is often only locally stuck. The useful move may be a foundation card that must return, a partial tableau sequence you overlooked, or a waste card exposed after one careful move.
YourGames is draw-one with unlimited waste recycling. Tableau builds downward in alternating colors, only kings enter empty columns, and foundation cards may return to the tableau.
Run a complete no-move scan
Scan in a fixed order: tableau to foundations; waste to foundations; waste to every column; every face-up tableau tail; then foundations back to tableau. Recycle the waste only after checking whether a cleared destination changes the next pass.
Prioritize moves that flip a face-down card. Moving a known sequence is useful only when it opens a column, creates a foundation move, or frees a needed rank and color.
- Check every face-up starting point, not only bottom cards.
- Empty columns accept kings only.
- Foundation moves are reversible in this version.
Worked example: bring a card back
Name the exact blocked card before pulling a card down. If the move releases nothing, leave the foundation intact.
Example position
A black 7 is on a foundation. A red 6 blocks a face-down card, and another column ends in a red 8. Return the black 7 onto the red 8, move the red 6 onto that 7, and expose the hidden card. The backward move gains information.
Waste and empty-column errors
Recycling means a waste card is not permanently missed, but playing one changes the next exposed card. Note useful cards and create destinations before cycling again.
An empty column helps only if a king can occupy it and improve access. Shuffling kings between empty columns does not change the position.
- Do not send both colors of a rank up too early.
- Do not move sequences when the source reveals nothing.
- Do not declare a dead end before checking foundation cards.
- Do not cycle the waste without a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Should every ace or two go up immediately?
Usually, but check whether it is needed as a tableau landing spot. You can bring it back later.
Can I recycle the waste?
Yes. Selecting an empty stock turns the waste into a new face-down stock without a fixed limit.
When is the deal truly stuck?
No stock, waste, tableau, or useful foundation move can expose information or create a king space.
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