HT Games
In virtually all solitaire variants (Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, TriPeaks), you lose when no legal moves remain and the foundation piles are incomplete. This "stalemate" occurs in two primary ways:
You've cycled through the entire stock/waste pile three times (or the variant's limit) without uncovering needed cards. All face-down cards in the tableau are blocked by cards that cannot be moved to foundations or other tableau columns.
No sequence of moves—including using free cells, empty columns, or foundation returns—can expose a needed card or create a valid build. The layout is mathematically unsolvable from the current state.
| Variant | Loss Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Klondike (Draw 3) | Stock depleted 3×; no moves | ~80% of deals are theoretically solvable; human win rate ~10–15% |
| Spider (1/2/4 suits) | No moves; incomplete suits | 4-suit: <5% solvable; 1-suit: ~100% solvable |
| FreeCell | No moves; all 4 free cells + columns blocked | 99.999% of deals solvable; loss = player error |
| Pyramid | Stock empty; no pairs summing to 13 | Win rate ~0.5–5% depending on rules |
| TriPeaks / Golf | Stock empty; no playable cards | High variance; many deals unsolvable |
Losing at solitaire is usually a mathematical certainty of the deal (especially in Klondike, Pyramid, TriPeaks), not a skill failure. In FreeCell, however, a loss almost always indicates a missed sequence—making it the best variant for skill development.