About

Pyramid Solitaire arranges 28 cards in a triangle shape, with one card at the apex and seven at the base. You remove pairs of cards that sum to 13 (King alone = 13, Queen = 12, Jack = 11, Ace = 1). Cards can only be removed when fully exposed — not covered by any other card in the row below. A stock pile provides additional cards when the pyramid runs out of moves.

The puzzle requires planning which cards to expose and in what order. Sometimes you must remove a lower-value card you could keep, just to expose two cards above that would otherwise remain blocked. The stock and waste piles cycle through, providing a second (and sometimes third) pass.

Pyramid is one of the harder solitaire variants — many deals are genuinely unwinnable. But a successful clear is deeply satisfying.

How to Play

• Click two exposed cards that sum to 13 to remove them.
• Kings are removed alone (value = 13).
• A card is exposed only if no other pyramid card is overlapping it.
• Click the stock pile to flip cards to the waste pile; the top waste card is always available.
• Clear all pyramid cards to win.

Tips

• Prioritize removing pairs from the top of the pyramid — they unblock the most cards.
• Don't use stock cards for pairs you can make from the pyramid alone.
• Cycle through the waste pile multiple times; cards passed earlier may become necessary.

History

Pyramid Solitaire is part of the broad family of "pairing" solitaire games, distinct from the "building" solitaire family like Klondike. Its origins are unclear but it appears in solitaire card game collections from the mid-20th century. The game gained wide digital distribution through early PC solitaire packs. The sum-to-13 pairing mechanic gives it a distinct mathematical flavor that appeals to players who find standard solitaire too luck-dependent.