Russian

How to play Russian

Russian deals every card at the start, exactly like Yukon: one face-up card in the first column, then each later column gets one more face-down card plus five face-up. Build four foundations Ace to King in suit. On the board, pick up any face-up card with everything stacked on it, and set the group down where its bottom card is one rank lower of the same suit. Only a King-led group may take an empty column.

Tap a card to send it to its foundation if it fits, or to the leftmost legal column. Once every column is face-up and sorted in suit, an auto-finish button plays out the rest. Undo is unlimited.

Strategy tips

• Flip face-down cards first. Same-suit building makes parking spots scarce, so every hidden card you reveal is worth more than a tidy pile.
• Do not spend an empty column on the first King you see. The King whose suit still has cards buried is the one that pays.
• Keep a suit together when you can. An off-color Yukon-style dump is illegal here, so a mixed clump is harder to unpack later.
• Delay low foundation plays. A 3 of spades sent up early can remove the only legal landing for the 2 still under a face-down card.

Russian vs. Alaska

Alaska allows same-suit building in either direction. Russian builds only down. Both use the same deal and let you move any face-up card with the cards below it. Try Alaska for more ways to rearrange the tableau.

Frequently asked questions

How do you win Russian Solitaire?

Build all four foundations from Ace to King in suit. The deal is the same as Yukon: all 52 cards start on the board, and any face-up card lifts with everything on top of it. The difference is placement — you build down in the same suit, not in alternating colors.

How is Russian different from Yukon?

Yukon places a red 9 on a black 10. Russian places a 9 of hearts only on the 10 of hearts. The lift rule is the same, so a messy clump still moves, but legal landing spots are fewer and a wrong park is harder to undo without undo.

How is Russian different from Alaska?

Alaska allows building up or down in the same suit. Russian builds only down. Neither game wraps between Ace and King.

Are most Russian deals winnable?

Less often than Yukon. Same-suit building cuts the number of legal parking spots roughly in half, so a buried card is easier to strand. Unlimited undo lets you walk back a bad excavation.

Do I need an account to save my stats?

No. Games played, win rate, streaks and best times are stored in your browser on this device. Nothing is uploaded and there is nothing to sign up for.