Cheery Chimp

Klondike is the best-known form of solitaire, the classic one-player card game played with a standard 52-card deck. Its exact origins are uncertain, but the game appears to have developed in the late 19th century, during a period when solitaire games were becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America.

The name Klondike is associated with the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s. The game was reportedly popular among prospectors and travelers heading to the Yukon, although there is little firm historical evidence that it actually originated there. Earlier versions of the same or closely related game were known by other names, including Canfield in some American contexts.

Klondike became particularly influential because of its simple layout and relatively easy-to-learn rules. Seven tableau piles are dealt, with only the top card of each pile face up. Players build descending sequences of alternating colors in the tableau while moving cards to four foundations, one for each suit, beginning with the aces.

The game received an enormous boost in popularity with the rise of personal computers. Microsoft Solitaire, introduced with Windows 3.0 in 1990, used Klondike as its standard solitaire game. It was designed in part to help users become comfortable with using a computer mouse, particularly the drag-and-drop operation. Millions of people subsequently encountered Klondike through Windows, making it one of the most widely played card games in the world.

Today, Klondike remains a staple of physical card decks, websites, mobile apps, and computer operating systems. Its combination of simple rules, short games, and the possibility of solving a deal has helped make it perhaps the definitive modern solitaire game.