# How to Play Chinese Solitaire

Chinese Solitaire is similar to [Scorpion Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/scorpion) but with a modified tableau layout and cards built in the foundation.

### Objective

The goal is to move all 52 cards from the stock pile and tableau into 4 foundation piles by suit in ascending order.

### The Setup and Play Area

**Tableau:** This is the area where there are 7 columns of cards, each with 7 cards, totaling 49 cards. All cards are face-up in the first 3 columns. In the fourth column, the last 4 cards are face-up. In the fifth column, the last 3 cards are face-up. In the sixth column, the last two cards are face-up. In the seventh column, the last card is face-up.

**Stock pile:** The remaining 3 cards go into the stock stock pile. They are dealt to the first 3 columns of the tableau at once.

**Foundation piles:** These are the 4 piles at the top to the game where cards are placed by suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

![How to set up Chinese Solitaire](https://defbnszqe1hwm.cloudfront.net/images/Chinese-Solitaire-setup.png) 

### Available moves

* Only Aces can start in the foundation, and subsequent cards must be in ascending order by suit. For example, only a 2 of Hearts can be played on an Ace of Hearts.
* Similar to [Yukon](https://solitaired.com/yukon-solitaire), a card and all the cards beneath it can be moved on top of the bottom card of a tableau column if it is one rank lower and of the same suit. For example, if you have a 5 of Hearts and an 8 of Spades underneath it, both cards can be moved together on top of a 6 of Hearts that sits at the bottom of the tableau.
* Tableau cards can be moved by sequencing them in descending order by alternating colors. For example, a 5 of Spades can be placed on top of a 6 of Hearts.
* Face-down cards are turned face-up when there are no cards below them.
* If a tableau column is empty, a King can be placed there.
* The 3 stock pile cards can be dispensed at any time and will be placed on top of the cards at the bottom of the first 3 tableau columns.
* You win when all cards are moved to the foundation.

## Strategy

* Prioritize moving cards to reveal the face-down cards and make them playable.
* Only deal cards from the stock pile when you have no other moves.
* Avoid having lower-ranking cards above higher-ranking cards in the same column. This will make sequencing these cards challenging.
* Free up columns. This way, you can move a King, start building new sequences, and free up cards in the process.
* Look out for deadlocks. If 9 of Spades, 7 of Spades, and 8 of Spades are in order, the game is lost, as you will never be able to sequence those cards. Similarly, if there is a 6 of Diamonds followed by a Jack of Spades in one column and a Queen of Spades followed by a 5 of Hearts in another column, the game is lost as you won’t be able to sequence those costs. Restart the game if you see this.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the probability of winning Chinese Solitaire?

Chinese is a challenging game. We looked at 1,987 random games played. Of those, 303 were won, or 15.25%.

### What are some games similar to Chinese Solitaire?

[Spider Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/spider-solitaire), [Spiderette](https://solitaired.com/spiderette), [Big Spider](https://solitaired.com/bigspider), [Scorpion](https://solitaired.com/scorpion), and [Beetle](https://solitaired.com/beetle) have similar rules and setups.

### What are other popular Solitaire games to try?

* [Online Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/)
* [Yukon Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/yukon-solitaire)
* [FreeCell](https://solitaired.com/freecell)
* [Klondike Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/klondike-solitaire)
* [Russian Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/russian-solitaire)
* [Pyramid Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/pyramid-solitaire)
* [TriPeaks Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/tripeaks-solitaire)