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King Albert Solitaire is the classic open patience named after Albert I, King of the Belgians, free to play online in your browser with no download and no sign-up. 45 cards are dealt face up into nine columns in a staircase, from one card in the first column to nine in the last, and the seven cards left over form the Belgian Reserve. Every reserve card can be played at any time, but nothing is ever played back onto the reserve. Only the top card of each column moves: build down in alternating colours — a red 6 on a black 7 — free each Ace to its foundation and build every suit up to the King. An empty column takes any card, and it is the only spare room you get. With every card in view it is a game of pure planning: our solver finds a win in 1,523 of the first 2,400 deals and proves 702 of them cannot be won, while a simple rule-of-thumb player wins only 20. Drag single cards or whole runs, tap to play, undo any move, ask for a hint that tells you whether the deal can still be won, replay a deal by its number, and choose random or winnable deals.
How to play King Albert Solitaire
- The game deals 45 cards face up into nine columns in a staircase: one card in the first column, two in the second, up to nine in the last. The seven cards left over lie in a row as the reserve, known as the Belgian Reserve. The four foundations start empty.
- Each foundation takes its Ace as soon as the Ace is free, then builds up in suit to the King: A, 2, 3 and so on. An Ace goes home by itself the moment it is free, and so does a Two once its Ace is home.
- Only the top card of each column is in play, and cards move one at a time. Move a top card onto another column when it is exactly one rank lower and the other colour: a red 6 on a black 7, a black 6 on a red 7. Drag a card, or tap it to send it home, onto a column one rank higher, or into an empty column.
- All seven reserve cards are in play from the start: move any of them onto a column or a foundation whenever it fits. Nothing is ever played onto the reserve, so a reserve place that empties stays empty.
- A column that empties can take any card — the only spare room in the game. A run that builds down in alternating colours can be dragged as one when there are enough empty columns to move it one card at a time: two cards need one empty column, four cards need two. The game makes the single moves for you and counts each one.
- You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. If no sequence of moves can bring another card home, the deal is lost: undo, replay the deal, or start a new one.
Tips
- Every card is face up, so look at the whole table before your first move. Find the four Aces and count the cards lying on top of each one — freeing the deepest Ace early usually decides the game.
- The reserve is your spare hand, not a free cell: a card can leave it but never come back. Play a reserve card only when it does something — builds a run, frees a column card or goes home.
- Empty columns are worth more than anything else on the table, because they are the only place to park a card and the only way to move a run. The short columns on the left are the quickest to clear.
- A Queen or Jack sitting on a low card of its own suit blocks that suit for a long time. Move such blockers onto runs of the right colour before they become the last cards you need to free.
- Press Hint whenever you are unsure. While a winning line exists it shows its next step and says so; once a deal can no longer be won it tells you, so you know to undo rather than play on.
FAQ
Is King Albert Solitaire free to play?
Yes. King Albert 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 King Albert Solitaire?
Nine columns of face-up cards are dealt in a staircase from one card to nine, and the last seven cards form the reserve. Build down in alternating colours on the columns, moving one card at a time, and play any reserve card whenever it fits. Each foundation takes its Ace and builds up in suit to the King. Win by getting all 52 cards home.
Why is it called King Albert, and what is the Belgian Reserve?
The game is said to be named after Albert I, King of the Belgians, and it is a variant of a patience called Somerset. Its seven reserve cards are known as the Belgian Reserve. King Albert is also the best known of the games called Idiot’s Delight.
How does the reserve work?
All seven reserve cards are available from the start, and you may play any of them onto a column or a foundation at any time. Nothing can be played onto the reserve, and a reserve place that empties stays empty, so each reserve card is a one-way move.
What can go into an empty column?
Any card: the top card of another column or a card from the reserve. With no free cells and no stock, empty columns are the only spare room in King Albert, so use them to park a card that blocks something you need, or to move a whole run.
Can I move more than one card at a time?
The rules move one card at a time, but this version lets you drag a run that builds down in alternating colours as one move whenever there are enough empty columns to make the same move card by card: two cards need one empty column, four cards need two, eight need three. The game plays the single moves for you and counts each one, so nothing about the game changes.
How often can you win King Albert Solitaire?
We measured it on the first 2,400 deals. With every card in view, a solver that searches the moves ahead finds a win in 1,523 of them, about 63 deals in every 100, and proves that 702 cannot be won at all whatever you do; the other 175 it did not settle in its time limit. A rule-of-thumb player that sends cards home and otherwise makes the move that looks best one step ahead wins only 20 — about one deal in 120. Planning several moves ahead is what wins King Albert.
What does Winnable deals mode do?
It deals only hands the solver has played all the way to a win: the 1,523 winnable deals it found among the first 2,400. Random deals, the default, draws from all 999,999 deal numbers. A winnable deal can still be lost by a wrong move — undo and the hint will get you back on track.
How does the hint work?
The hint asks the same solver. While it can find a winning line from your position, it shows that line's next step and says so; tapping the hinted card plays it. If the solver searches every position reachable from yours without finding a win, the hint tells you the deal can no longer be won, so you know to undo. 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 King Albert different from Klondike and FreeCell?
Like Klondike it deals a staircase of columns built down in alternating colours, but every card is face up from the start and there is no stock to turn — the seven reserve cards are the only extra cards. Like FreeCell it is an open game decided by planning, but the reserve only gives cards out and never takes one back, and an empty column is the only place to park a card.
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, even after the game has ended. Every game has a number from 1 to 999,999 shown at the top of the table; 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 between piles, Enter plays the top card, U undoes, H asks for a hint and N starts a new deal.