How to Play Double Klondike Solitaire
Double Klondike takes the structure of 1-deck Klondike and gives it 104 cards. The tableau widens to 9 columns, the foundations increase to 8 and the stock holds 59 cards after the opening deal. Tableau builds still descend in alternating colors, so the game feels familiar even while the longer columns demand a different sense of scale.
The rules below match Double Klondike on Solitaire.cx: Draw 1 with 1 redeal, King-only empty columns and movable alternating-color runs. Other versions sometimes change the stock limit. Check that setting before carrying this guide to another table.
Double Klondike Setup
Shuffle 2 standard 52-card decks together. Deal 9 tableau columns from left to right. Column 1 receives 1 card, column 2 receives 2 and the pattern continues until column 9 receives 9. Turn the bottom card of every column face up and leave the cards above it face down. This uses 45 cards.
Place the remaining 59 cards face down as the stock. Leave room beside it for the waste and 8 foundations. There are 2 foundation piles for each suit because the pack contains 2 copies of every card.
Build Down in Alternating Colors
A tableau card may be placed on the next higher rank of the opposite color. A red 9 can land on a black 10, and a black Queen can land on a red King. Suit does not matter on the tableau. Rank and color do.
You may move 1 face-up card or an ordered group. Every card in that group must already descend by 1 rank and alternate color. If a move uncovers a face-down card, turn it face up immediately. Cards cannot be taken from the middle of a group while lower cards remain attached.
Only Kings Fill Empty Columns
Clearing a tableau column creates a space that accepts only a King or a sequence beginning with a King. No other rank can enter. The empty column is useful because a King-led group can move out of a crowded source and reveal another card there.
Do not fill the space automatically. With 2 copies of every King, several candidates may appear. Prefer the King that frees a covered card or carries a useful run. A bare King from the waste may be correct when it opens another waste card, but it gives less immediate table access than a King moved from a deep column.
Build 8 Foundations by Suit
Each foundation begins with an Ace and rises in suit through King. Because there are 2 decks, hearts have 2 foundations, diamonds have 2, clubs have 2 and spades have 2. Either copy of a card may enter a compatible pile. Once all 104 cards reach the foundations, the game is won.
Duplicate foundations create choices that 1-deck Klondike does not have. If 1 heart pile shows 5 and the other shows 2, a 3 of hearts can only advance the lower pile. When both piles need the same rank, either physical copy works. Keep both copies moving when possible so a low foundation does not trap a long run behind it.
How the Draw 1 Stock Works
Turn over 1 stock card at a time. The exposed waste card may move to a tableau column or foundation if it has a legal destination. You may continue drawing without playing it; the next card covers it on the waste.
When the stock is empty, return the waste to the stock once without shuffling. That begins the 2nd and final pass. After the 2nd pass is exhausted, no further redeal is available. A buried waste card can become available only by removing the cards above it during either pass.
Start by Opening the Deep Columns
Column 9 hides 8 cards, while column 2 hides only 1. A move from a long column usually reveals more of the deal's unknown information. When 2 legal choices are otherwise equal, favor the move that turns over a card in the deeper half of the table.
Do not ignore the short columns. They are easier to clear and often produce the 1st empty space. Try to clear 1 of them while building exits from the deeper columns. Piling every easy card onto a short column defeats that purpose; the column may be impossible to empty when its space is finally needed.
Choose Between Duplicate Cards by Access
The 2 red 7s are equal in rank, but they are rarely equal in value. 1 copy may be exposed on the waste while the other sits at the bottom of column 8. If a black 8 accepts either card, moving the tableau copy uncovers new information. Moving the waste copy may instead reveal another stock card needed immediately.
Look at the source before choosing the copy. Count covered cards, inspect the next waste card when known and consider which source will be harder to revisit. Duplicate cards are extra flexibility only when their positions are treated as different resources.
Keep Opposite-Color Ranks Available
Long alternating runs need support from both colors. Sending every low black card to the foundations can leave red tableau cards without temporary landings. Before moving a foundation card, check whether an opposite-color card 1 rank lower still needs it.
With 2 decks, foundation safety is less rigid than in ordinary Klondike because another copy may remain on the table. It is still unwise to assume that copy is accessible. Advance foundations freely when both lower opposite-color ranks are already safe or when the move directly exposes a covered card.
Prepare for the Final Stock Pass
During the 1st pass, note stock cards with no destination. Before redealing, try to create those destinations. If the Queen of clubs passed without a red King, uncovering or moving a red King becomes a specific goal. The 2nd pass should execute known moves, not repeat the same inspection.
Avoid using the only suitable landing for a less urgent card shortly before the redeal. A waste card available on both passes may be postponed; a card near the bottom of the 2nd pass has no such margin. When the stock falls below 10 cards, check the remaining tableau and foundation needs before each draw.
How Double Klondike Differs from Other 2-Deck Games
Forty Thieves starts with 10 columns of 4 face-up cards and builds them downward in the same suit, 1 card at a time. Double Klondike hides cards in a staircase and allows complete alternating-color runs to move. The 2 games share 8 foundations and a large pack, but their table work is not interchangeable.
Compared with Klondike Turn 3, Double Klondike offers more tableau landings and exposes every stock card during a pass. Its difficulty comes from 104 cards, 9 columns and a limited redeal rather than 3-card packet alignment. The types of Solitaire guide places these games within the wider builder family.
Double Klondike Rules Players Often Check
How many cards are in the opening tableau?
45 cards. The 9 columns receive 1 through 9 cards, and the remaining 59 cards form the stock.
Can a complete sequence move together?
Yes. A face-up group may move when it descends by 1 rank and alternates color throughout.
What can fill an empty column?
Only a King or a movable sequence beginning with a King.
How many times can the waste be redealt?
Once on this version. The game has 2 stock passes in total.
Why are there 8 foundations?
The game uses 2 decks, so each suit needs 2 Ace-to-King foundation piles.
Do the 2 copies of a card have fixed foundations?
No. Either physical copy may move to either compatible foundation for that suit.
Hints and the stored winning line are useful when learning how the 9 columns interact. On a certified deal, those tools mark the result as assisted. Play without them when you want a clean leaderboard finish.