What is Agnes Solitaire?
Agnes Solitaire is a Klondike variant named for its unusual foundation rule: instead of always starting on an Ace, foundations begin on a randomly determined base rank. The first card dealt to the foundation area sets that rank for all four suits — so if a 7 of hearts is turned up, only the hearts foundation starts with that card. The other three foundations wait for their suit’s 7 and then build in wrapping order (7→8→9→10→J→Q→K→A→2→3→4→5→6).
This single rule change transforms the entire strategic landscape compared to Klondike. The base rank changes which cards can enter the foundations first. The tableau and reserve must be managed around that wrapping order.
Full rules
The 52-card deck is dealt into seven tableau columns in a Klondike-style triangle. The 29th card is placed face-up to start one of the four foundations and establish the base rank. The remaining 23 cards form the stock; all seven reserve piles start empty.
Tableau sequences build downward in alternating colors. Empty columns accept any card. A stock click deals one card to each of seven reserve piles while cards remain; the final click covers only the first two. Reserve top cards are available to play. Foundations build by suit in wrapping order from the base rank. Win by moving all 52 cards to the four foundations.
How Agnes differs from Klondike and Canfield
Klondike always starts foundations on Aces. Agnes randomizes the start rank — the same mechanic Canfield uses. Unlike Canfield’s 13-card reserve and draw-three stock, Agnes uses a Klondike-style triangle deal and a simpler reserve structure.
The wrapping foundation sequence is Agnes’s most disorienting aspect for players who know Klondike. A card of rank 5 might be urgently needed for the foundation (if the base is 4) or completely unneeded for many turns (if the base is 6). Knowing the base rank and computing how far each suit has to go to wrap around is the essential planning task.
Read the full Agnes strategy guide →
Key strategic concepts
Determine the full wrapping sequence at the start of each game. If the base is 9, the order is 9→10→J→Q→K→A→2→3→4→5→6→7→8. This tells you which cards are immediately useful (10s are next) and which are far away (8s will be last).
Reserve management is critical. The reserve cards available for play change with each stock deal, and their timing relative to foundation readiness determines whether they become useful or burdensome. Prefer tableau moves that reveal hidden cards before using reserve cards on marginal improvements.
How Agnes compares
- Klondike — the standard version with Ace-based foundations and no reserve
- Canfield — same base-rank foundation concept; 13-card reserve, draw-three stock, wraparound sequences
- Westcliff — three cards per column, draw-one stock with no redeal, standard Ace foundations
- Easthaven — seven columns of three cards, stock dealt in tableau rows
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Agnes is part of Downtown · Klondike family and is a variant of Klondike.
More Klondike family games
- Klondike — The patience everyone knows. Draw 1 or 3.
- Easthaven — Klondike that deals rows from the stock.
- Gargantua — Two-deck Klondike: 9 columns, 8 foundations.
- Kuiper — Triangular eight-column Klondike variant.
- Las Vegas Solitaire — Draw-one Klondike with a single pass through the stock.
- Nine Across — Nine-column Klondike with picked base rank.
Also try
- Gaps (Grid & sequence puzzles) — Fill four rows of gaps to build 2–K suit runs. No aces, three passes.
- Seahaven Towers (FreeCell & open packers) — FreeCell cousin: ten columns, same-suit builds, two cells.
- Beleaguered Castle (Castle games) — Eight columns flanking four aces.
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