Alaska Solitaire

If you are a fan of Yukon but are looking for a twist that requires a different kind of mental gymnastics, Alaska Solitaire is the perfect game for you. Named after the cold northern landscapes, this game shares the snowy disposition of its cousin but changes the rules of engagement on the tableau. While it shares the open-faced dealing style of standard Klondike games, Alaska is strictly a game of suits. It offers a challenging puzzle that rewards planning and flexibility.

The Setup

The game is played with a single standard deck of 52 playing cards. The layout will look very familiar if you have played Yukon before:

• The Tableau: There are seven columns. The cards are dealt similarly to Klondike, with the first column having one card, the second two, and so on up to seven. However, unlike Klondike, all cards dealt after the initial face-down cards are face-up.
• The Foundations: Four piles at the top right, initially empty. This is where you build your victory piles.

How to Play

The objective of Alaska is to move all cards to the four Foundation piles, organized by suit from Ace to King.

Building on the Tableau

This is where Alaska differs significantly from other patience games. You build sequences on the tableau by suit. You can build both up and down (ascending or descending).

For example, if you have a 7 of Hearts on the board, you can place either a 6 of Hearts or an 8 of Hearts on top of it.

Moving Cards

The movement rules are borrowed from Yukon, making the game fluid and dynamic:

• Group Movement: You can move any face-up group of cards, regardless of whether they are in sequence. The only requirement is that the top card of the group you are moving must match the destination card by suit and be either one rank higher or lower.
• Empty Columns: Only Kings can be placed in an empty tableau column.
• Foundations: As Aces become available, move them to the foundation piles. You must build these piles up strictly by suit (Ace, 2, 3… up to King).

Tips and Strategies

Alaska can be tricky because the ability to build both up and down can lead to loops if you are not careful.

• Uncover Face-Down Cards: Your primary goal, much like in Scorpion or standard Solitaire, is to expose the face-down cards. Prioritize moves that flip these cards over.
• Manage Your Direction: Since you can build up or down, try to organize your columns to facilitate moving cards to the foundations. Building "down" (King to Ace) usually makes it easier to peel cards off into the foundations later.
• Use Kings Wisely: An empty column is a powerful tool. Since only Kings can fill them, ensure you have a King ready to move before clearing a column, otherwise, you waste a valuable storage slot.
• Look Ahead: Because you can move non-sequential stacks, look at the cards buried deep in a pile. If you need a specific card to unlock a move, see if you can shift the entire stack covering it to a matching suit elsewhere.