Golf Solitaire Guide: Leave Fewer Cards

The rules by day

• Easy: kings and aces join up, so a queen, king, ace, two is a valid chain.
• Medium: kings and aces do not join; a run stops at an ace or a king.
• Hard: nothing can be played on a king. A king on the waste ends the chain, and you must turn the stock.

Check the tag before you start; the hard-day king rule changes the value of every king in the layout.

Look for chains, not single plays

The waste card is a seven. Three columns show an eight and one shows a six. Playing any of them is legal; the right one is the one that starts the longest chain. Follow each option in your head: the eight in column two is followed by a nine in that column and a ten in column five, then a jack in column one; the eight in column four has a two beneath it, which leads nowhere. Take the chain of four over the chain of one.

Every time you play a card, the card beneath it becomes available, so a chain is not just the cards you can see now but the cards each play uncovers. Reading two cards deep in each column is the core skill.

Up or down?

A chain can change direction at any time: seven, eight, seven, six, five, six. The question at each step is which direction keeps more cards available afterward. Prefer the direction that leads toward the ranks you have most of in the layout; if the columns are full of low cards, run downward.

Which column to play from

When the same rank is available in two columns, prefer:

1. The column whose next card continues the chain.
2. The column with more cards left (clearing it is harder, so start early).
3. The column whose next card pairs with other visible cards, even if not immediately.

Clearing a whole column is not a goal in itself in Golf (there is no bonus), so do not chase it; cards left are what count.

When to turn the stock

Turn the stock only when no card in the layout can be played, or when every playable card would start a chain of one and a stock card might start something longer. There is no going back: a stock card turned is a card you cannot un-turn, and the game ends when the stock is empty. On a layout with many playable cards, hold the stock as long as the chains keep going.

Keeping score low

A typical careless game leaves 10 to 15 cards; a careful one on an easy day can clear the layout. The leaderboard ranks by fewest cards left, then time, so a minute spent reading the layout at the start is worth more than any speed later. Before the first play, scan the columns for ranks that appear often; they are the backbone of your chains. Also note the ranks that appear only once or twice: a lone three with no twos or fours in sight will probably be left at the end, so do not build your plan around reaching it, and do not waste a stock card hoping to.

Common mistakes

1. Playing the first legal card. Count the chain each option starts.
2. Turning the stock while plays remain. Each stock card is finite.
3. Forgetting the day's king rule. A king on hard days is a dead end.
4. Trying to clear columns for their own sake. Only cards left matter.
5. Ignoring the second card down. Chains live one card below the surface.

Glossary

• Chain: a sequence of plays, each one rank up or down from the last.
• Waste: the pile you play onto; only its top card matters.
• Wrapping: kings and aces joining (easy days only).
• Cards left: your score; fewer is better.