Golf Solitaire

Golf is a small, quick solitaire. You work through seven short columns by playing cards that sit one step above or below the card at the center, and the goal is to leave the table empty.

How to play

The table has seven columns of five cards, all face up, so 35 cards in all. Beside the deck is a pile where you play. The remaining cards form the deck, and one card is already turned up on the pile to start you off.

• Which cards you can play: only the bottom card of each column, the one with nothing below it.
• When it fits: tap that card if it is exactly one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card of the pile. After a 9 you can play a 10 or an 8. Suit and color do not matter.
• Each play moves the card onto the pile and becomes the new card to match. The next card in that column is then free.
• No fit: tap the deck to turn a new card onto the pile. You get one pass through the deck.
• Kings and aces: in the classic game they do not connect. A king stops a run, and so does an ace. On Easy they do join, so a run can wrap around.

You win by clearing all seven columns. The status bar shows how many deck cards are left and how many table cards remain.

On a phone, tap the card you want to play. On a computer, click it. Undo takes back a move, and Hint shows a card that fits.

The levels

• Easy: a king and an ace join, so runs go round. This is the friendliest version.
• Medium: the classic game, where kings and aces do not join.
• Hard: the classic rules with harder deals.
• Expert: winnable, but almost every way of playing loses.

Golf is much tougher than it looks, because at most seven cards, the bottom cards of the columns, can be played at any moment. A program checked 3,000 deals under the classic rules and found no win for 2,153 of them. With the king-and-ace rule of Easy, the same check found no win for 659 of 3,000. The site deals only deals with a win. The levels are then sorted by how often a plain, plan-free player won each deal. As a rough guide, a computer that only followed the Hint button won 35 of 200 Easy deals, 21 of 200 Medium, 7 of 200 Hard and none of 200 Expert.

Today's game

The daily game is a Medium deal under the classic rules. Everyone on the same calendar day plays the same seven columns.

Tips

1. Look at the bottom card of every column, and then at the cards just above them. Think two or three plays ahead.
2. Plan a chain before you start it. One wrong turn can leave a column stranded.
3. Save your deck. You have only a handful of cards to turn, so use them only when the table has nothing to play.
4. Try to clear one column completely when the chance comes. Each column you finish is one less place to get stuck.
5. Watch for duplicates. Two cards of the same rank can both fit the same pile card, so pick the one that leads further.
6. A king ends a run in the classic game, so play it last in a chain, or when it is needed.
7. Do not worry if a deal feels stuck. Because many deals cannot be won in the classic rules, the site filters them for you.

Questions

Why can't I play the card above the bottom one? Only the bottom card of a column is free. Clear the one below it first.

Is a king ever next to an ace? On Easy, yes. On the other levels they stay apart, which is the classic rule.

Can I go through the deck again? No. You get one pass, so each turned card matters.

Will I always have a win? Yes, every deal that the site gives you has a win. Finding it is the puzzle.