How to Use a Klondike Solitaire Solver

Start with a deal in the solver

Open the Klondike Solitaire Solver and start a game. Choose your preferred draw rule:

• Draw 1: Turn over one stock card at a time.
• Draw 3: Turn over up to three stock cards at a time; only the top card of the waste is playable.

You can choose a random deal or a Winnable deal. A Winnable deal starts from a layout for which at least one winning sequence has already been verified. It does not mean that every move you make will preserve a route to victory.

You can also play normally before using the solver. There is no need to restart from the beginning: the solver examines the position you are currently in.

Step 1: Select Solve

Choose Solve from the toolbar above the cards. The solver searches for a sequence of legal actions leading to all 52 cards reaching the foundations. Its search runs separately from the main game interface so that the browser can remain responsive.

For Uletime-generated games, the solver can work from the full underlying board state, including the identities of face-down cards. Those cards stay hidden during normal play; the solver's access to them is what makes complete-position solving possible.

A successful search produces a route that is checked against the game's actual movement rules before it can be used for playback. Depending on the position and device, a search may finish quickly or reach its search limit without finding a solution.

Step 2: Use Next Step to understand the route

When a solution is found, select Next Step to execute the next validated action. Watch what changes after each step instead of racing to the end.

A solution can contain more than moves between tableau columns. You may see actions such as:

• Drawing a card from the stock onto the waste.
• Recycling the waste into the stock when the stock is empty.
• Moving a card from the waste to a tableau column or foundation.
• Moving a descending, alternating-color sequence between tableau columns.
• Returning a foundation card to a tableau column when the rules allow it.

For instance, moving a black 9 onto a red 10 may expose a face-down card beneath the 9. That newly exposed card can be more important than the immediate movement itself.

Tip: After each step, ask what the move has unlocked. Did it reveal a card, free a column, or make a useful waste card accessible?

Step 3: Use Auto Play for the complete demonstration

Select Auto Play to follow the validated solution automatically. You can pause the demonstration if you want to inspect a decision or study a position before continuing.

Auto Play is especially useful when a solution contains repeated stock cycling. In Draw 3, some cards can only be reached after other waste cards have been removed, so the path can look counterintuitive when viewed one move at a time.

For learning, a good approach is to watch a short stretch, pause, and predict the next useful move before resuming.

What happens if you change the board?

A solution applies to a specific board state. If you manually move a card, draw again, use Undo, restart, or begin a new game, the old path should no longer be treated as valid. Run Solve again for the new position rather than following steps calculated for an earlier state.

This distinction matters because even a Winnable starting deal can become blocked after an unfortunate choice.

What if the solver does not find a solution?

A solver result of Unknown means that no winning path was found within the available search budget. It is not proof that the position is impossible. Some positions are much more expensive to search than others, especially with Draw 3 stock and waste ordering.

If your game is still playable, you can try a different line of play and solve again. If you simply want to study a fully verified opening deal, start a new Winnable game.

The Cancel control stops an ongoing search; cancellation also does not mean the deal is unsolvable.

Can I enter a deal from another Solitaire website?

Not in the current version of the Uletime tool. It solves games generated and played inside Uletime, where the complete card order is available to the game engine. It does not currently accept photographs, screenshots, or manually entered external deals.

An external screenshot usually shows only some cards. Without knowing the hidden cards and remaining stock order, no tool can honestly claim to have verified a complete winning route for that exact unknown deal.