When Is an Exposed Face-Down Card Turned Over in Klondike?
A face-down tableau card turns face up as soon as it becomes the uncovered end of its column. It stays closed while any face-up card remains below it.
A face-down tableau card turns face up as soon as it becomes the uncovered bottom card of its column. In PlaySoli this happens automatically after the move that removes the last face-up card below it.
Suppose a column ends with a face-down card, then 6♣–5♥. Moving the pair onto 7♦ removes the entire face-up tail, so the covered card turns over. If you move only 5♥ onto 6♠, 6♣ still covers the card back and no flip occurs.
“Exposed” has a precise meaning
A card back can be visible between overlapping cards without being exposed. It is exposed only when it is the active end of the column and nothing lies on top of it from the player’s point of view.
Likewise, moving a card elsewhere in the same column does not matter unless the final covering card leaves. The game checks the resulting column, not how many cards were moved during the animation.
Why the new card is important
Turning a hidden card face up adds both information and a new possible move. If the card is Q♠, it may accept J♥ or J♦. If it is A♣, it may move directly to an empty club foundation. If it has no immediate destination, at least the uncertainty is gone.
This is why a move that reveals one card often outranks a move that merely lengthens a clean open sequence. The reveal can create the missing destination for several other cards.
Cases that do not trigger a flip
A face-down card does not turn over when a face-up card still remains below it, when a move is undone, or when the face-down card is not at the end of its column. Dealing from the stock also has no direct effect on tableau card backs.
Check the position after every reveal
- Read the rank and color of the new card before drawing from the stock.
- Test whether it can move to a foundation or onto an opposite-color parent.
- Check whether it accepts a card from another column or the waste.
- Recalculate which column is now cheapest to open.
Reproduce the example in Play Klondike Draw 1 or Play Klondike Draw 3.
Sources used
This guide distinguishes PlaySoli's current game rules from historical variants and marks disputed claims instead of presenting them as settled facts.