Gaps Solitaire is the classic grid patience, free to play online in your browser with no download and no sign-up. All 52 cards are dealt face up in four rows of thirteen, then the four Aces are taken out, leaving four gaps. A gap takes exactly one card: the next card up, in the same suit, as the card on its left — a gap right of the 7♥ takes the 8♥ — while a gap at the left end of a row takes any Two and a gap right of a King is dead. Every move opens a new gap where the card came from. When nothing can move, each row keeps the run it has built from a Two in its left column and the rest is gathered, shuffled and dealt again; the classic game gives you three rounds, the deal and two redeals, and Relaxed mode lets you redeal as often as you need. It is a game of chain reactions and choosing which suit owns which row: a rule-of-thumb player wins only 137 of the first 2,400 deals, about one in 18, but our solver, which knows how each redeal will fall, finds a win in 2,394 of them. Tap a gap to fill it or a card to send it home, drag if you like, undo any move, ask for a hint, and replay a deal as often as you like.
How to play Gaps Solitaire
- The game deals all 52 cards face up in four rows of thirteen, then takes the four Aces out of play. That leaves four gaps in the grid. The goal is to rebuild every row in a single suit, from a Two at the left end up to the King, with the row’s gap at the far right.
- A gap takes exactly one card: the next card up, in the same suit, as the card on its left. A gap right of the 7♥ takes the 8♥, wherever that card is lying. Tap the gap to bring that card over, or tap the card to send it to its gap — each empty cell shows the card it is waiting for.
- A gap at the left end of a row takes any Two, and the Two you choose decides which suit that row will be. When several Twos could go there, the gap pulses and the Twos shimmer: tap the one you want.
- A gap right of a King is dead — nothing comes after a King — and so is a gap right of another gap until that one is filled. Every move opens a new gap where the card came from, so one move often sets up the next, and the next.
- When no card can move, the round is over: press Redeal. Each row keeps the run it has built in suit from a Two in its left column, and every other card is gathered, shuffled and dealt back with one gap just right of each kept run. The classic game has three rounds — the deal and two redeals. Relaxed mode lets you redeal as often as you need.
- You win when every row runs from Two to King in one suit. If the last round blocks before that, the deal is lost: undo, replay the deal, or start a new one. Cards already home in their row are edged in gold, so you can see your progress at a glance.
Tips
- Choose each row’s suit with care. Before you drop a Two into a left-end gap, look at what lies next to that gap: a Two whose Three already sits beside it gives you two cards in place at once.
- Watch the Kings. A gap opened right of a King is wasted for the whole round, so think twice before moving a card that sits just after one — sometimes it is better to leave it and play elsewhere first.
- Count your live gaps. You only ever have four, and every dead one shrinks your options. When two moves are possible, prefer the one that opens a gap you can use next.
- Cards in place are the only cards that survive a redeal, so a round is judged by how long your runs are when it ends. Extend a run whenever you can; the rest of the grid is going back into the shuffle anyway.
- Press Hint when you are unsure. It knows how each redeal will fall, and while it has a winning line it shows the next step and says so — tapping the hinted card plays it.
FAQ
Is Gaps Solitaire free to play?
Yes. Gaps Solitaire is completely free to play online in your browser, with no download, no account and no in-game purchases. It works on phones, tablets and computers.
How do you play Gaps solitaire?
Deal all 52 cards face up in four rows of thirteen and take out the four Aces, leaving four gaps. Fill a gap with the card one rank higher, in the same suit, than the card on its left; a gap at the left end of a row takes any Two, and a gap right of a King is dead. When nothing can move, keep each row’s run from its left-end Two and gather, shuffle and redeal the rest. Win by building every row in suit from Two to King.
What other names does Gaps go by?
The same grid game is also sold as Montana, Spaces and Addiction, and some books add small twists under those names — how many redeals you get, or whether the gathered cards are shuffled. This version follows the common modern rules: Aces out, any Two into a left-end gap, gathered cards shuffled, and three rounds.
What can go into a gap at the left end of a row?
Any Two. That is the one real choice in Gaps: the Two you put in a left-end gap decides which suit the whole row will be built in. When more than one Two could go there, tap the gap and then the Two you want, or drag a Two straight in.
Why can nothing go in the gap after a King?
A gap takes the card one rank higher than the card to its left, and nothing ranks above a King, so that gap is dead until the next redeal. A gap right of another gap is stuck too, until the gap on its left is filled. Dead gaps are drawn crossed out.
How does the redeal work?
When no card can move, press Redeal. Each row keeps the run it has built in suit from a Two in its left column; every other card is gathered, shuffled and dealt back into the empty places row by row, leaving one gap just right of each kept run, or at the left end of a row that kept nothing. The classic game allows two redeals, so three rounds in all.
How often can you win Gaps?
We measured it on the first 2,400 deals of the classic game. A rule-of-thumb player that always extends a run when it can and otherwise makes the move that looks best one step ahead wins only 137 of them — about one deal in 18. A solver that knows how each redeal will fall finds a win in 2,394 of the same deals within the hint’s time limit, and wins the last 6 too when given ten times longer. So nearly every deal can be won; the redeals decide how hard it is to see the way.
What is Relaxed mode?
Relaxed lifts the limit on redeals: whenever you are stuck you can gather and redeal again, so every deal can be finished. Our rule-of-thumb player finishes all of the first 2,400 deals in Relaxed mode, needing six rounds in a typical game and never more than ten. Classic, the default, keeps the traditional three rounds.
How does the hint work?
The hint asks a solver that knows how each redeal will fall. While it can find a winning line from your position, it shows the next step — a card and the gap it goes to, or the Redeal button — and says so; tapping the hinted card plays it. If it runs out of time first, it shows a sensible move that does not lose on the spot and says no winning line was found.
How is Gaps different from other solitaire games?
There are no columns, foundations or stock. The whole deck lies in a grid from the start and you sort it in place, one card into one gap at a time, so the game is about chain reactions: each move opens a gap that wants a different card. It plays more like a sliding puzzle than like Klondike or FreeCell.
Can I undo a move, and what is the deal number?
Yes, every move can be undone one at a time, right back to the deal, redeals included, even after the game has ended. Undoing a redeal and redealing again deals the very same cards. Every game has a number from 1 to 999,999; the same number always deals the same cards, so Replay deal gives you the same game again and New deal picks a different one.
Does it save my game, and can I play with a keyboard?
An unfinished deal is saved in your browser and picks up where you left it. With a keyboard, the arrow keys move around the grid, Enter fills a gap or plays a card, U undoes, H asks for a hint, R redeals and N starts a new deal.