Setup and opening position
With two decks, two backbone reserves receive eleven cards each and a third reserve holds one blocking card. Eight tableau piles receive one card, one card starts the waste, and the rest form the stock.
Backbone Solitaire
Move all 104 cards to the eight suited foundations.
Loading game
Stats on this device
Your unfinished game is saved only in this browser.
- Played
- 0
- Wins
- 0
- Win rate
- —
- Fastest win
- —
- Fewest moves
- —
- Best score
- —
- Current streak
- 0 days
- Best streak
- 0 days
How to play
Move all 104 cards to the eight suited foundations.
- With two decks, two backbone reserves receive eleven cards each and a third reserve holds one blocking card. Eight tableau piles receive one card, one card starts the waste, and the rest form the stock.
- Foundations rise in suit from Ace. Tableau builds downward in suit one card at a time and accepts a card in an empty pile. The two long reserves cannot move until the central reserve is cleared; draw singly with no redeal.
- Move all 104 cards to the eight suited foundations.
Strategy tips
- Clear the central blocker at the first safe opportunity, then alternate between the two newly available backbone tops instead of burying one suit.
- A playable-looking card on either long reserve is still locked while the third reserve contains its blocker.
- Once the backbone is exposed, preserve empty tableau piles as suit-specific staging lanes for the stock's final pass.
Complete guide
Rules, scoring, and strategy
Backbone Solitaire is a complete browser implementation with its own versioned rules profile. Uncover two long reserve columns guarded by a central blocker while building eight suited Ace foundations.
Legal moves and game flow
Foundations rise in suit from Ace. Tableau builds downward in suit one card at a time and accepts a card in an empty pile. The two long reserves cannot move until the central reserve is cleared; draw singly with no redeal.
Winning and terminal positions
Move all 104 cards to the eight suited foundations. Once the backbone is exposed, preserve empty tableau piles as suit-specific staging lanes for the stock's final pass.
Practical strategy
Clear the central blocker at the first safe opportunity, then alternate between the two newly available backbone tops instead of burying one suit. A playable-looking card on either long reserve is still locked while the third reserve contains its blocker.
Questions players ask
What is the objective in Backbone Solitaire?
Move all 104 cards to the eight suited foundations.
Which moves are legal in Backbone Solitaire?
Foundations rise in suit from Ace. Tableau builds downward in suit one card at a time and accepts a card in an empty pile. The two long reserves cannot move until the central reserve is cleared; draw singly with no redeal.
What should I plan first in Backbone Solitaire?
Clear the central blocker at the first safe opportunity, then alternate between the two newly available backbone tops instead of burying one suit.
Related games
FreeCellUse four open cells to reorganize a fully visible deal and build every suit onto its foundation.Beleaguered CastleBuild four suited foundations from a fully exposed eight-column deal, using empty columns and rank-only tableau moves to free blocked cards.Four SeasonsBuild wrapping suited foundations from a random base rank around a five-card cross, with rank-only wrapping tableau piles.Cruel SolitaireBuild suited foundations from twelve four-card piles, using same-suit descents and order-preserving packet redeals to reopen the layout.
