Why Must Klondike Tableau Cards Alternate Colors?
Klondike tableau cards build downward by one rank while alternating red and black. Includes the exact rule, a card example, and the check to make before moving.
Klondike tableau cards build downward by one rank while alternating red and black.
The tableau rule uses color, not suit: hearts and diamonds are red, while clubs and spades are black.
Placing 7♥ on 8♠ is legal because seven is one rank lower than eight and the colors alternate. The useful distinction is between a card that looks possible and a move that satisfies every condition at once.
How the rule works
Placing 7♥ on 8♥ is illegal because both cards are red, even though the ranks are consecutive.
The order must descend; placing 9♠ on 8♥ would build upward and is therefore illegal.
A legal move is not automatically a strong move; legality and future usefulness are separate questions.
In Klondike, placement and access are inseparable. A move may obey the red-black or foundation order yet still cover a needed waste card, spend the only empty column, or leave a hidden card untouched.
Read the board in two layers: first test whether the move is legal, then ask which face-down card, stock card, or empty lane will be affected next.
Worked card examples
The cards below turn the rule into a position you can verify rather than a phrase to memorize.
Q♦ may be placed on K♣: the rank drops by one and red changes to black.
Check both the immediate connection and the card that will become available after the move. That second consequence is often where two apparently similar choices diverge.
9♠ may be placed on 10♥, but 9♣ may not go on 10♠ because both cards are black.
The counterexample matters just as much: it shows which single condition fails and prevents an accidental rule from being learned.
A reliable check before moving
Before committing the move, run three separate checks:
- Verify that the destination satisfies every rank, color, suit, and space rule that applies.
- Check that the moved card is exactly one rank lower than the destination card.
- Check that red lands on black or black lands on red.
If all three checks pass, make the move and reassess the new endpoints. A legal move can change access, available workspace, and the value of the next legal move.
How to use this at the table
Use the rule as a small decision procedure, not as an isolated sentence. Identify the available card, test its destination, and then inspect what the move uncovers or consumes.
To test the explanation on a live deal, open Play Klondike Draw 1 and reproduce the card example before extending the plan.
Sources used
- SRC-001 PlaySoli implementation and editorial specification.
- SRC-002 Current PlaySoli product rules: Solitaire Turn 1.
This guide distinguishes PlaySoli's current game rules from historical variants and marks disputed claims instead of presenting them as settled facts.