Play Alaska Solitaire (Alaska Yukon) Online for Free

What is Alaska Solitaire?

Alaska Solitaire is a Yukon-family game that allows same-suit movement both one rank up and one rank down. Russian Solitaire only allows descending same-suit moves. Alaska's bidirectionality doubles the attachment options for every card and creates recovery paths that simply don't exist in Russian - making Alaska the middle-difficulty member of the no-stock Yukon family.

Alaska Solitaire history

Alaska is widely regarded as a deliberate response to Russian Solitaire's harshness. By permitting an upward move within the same suit, designers restored a measure of recovery flexibility while keeping the suit-discipline mechanic. The name presumably references the Alaskan wilderness feeling of the Yukon family of games.

What bidirectional same-suit movement means in practice

Consider a column with ♠7 at the bottom and ♠6, ♠5 above it. In Russian this is a legal ladder: 7→6→5 descending by suit. In Alaska, that same column could also accept an ♠8 at the bottom - making it 8→7→6→5, all ♠, all adjacent. You can extend a ladder in either direction.

How to play Alaska Solitaire

Priority move order

1. Reveal hidden cards first. Same as all Yukon-family games - flipping face-down cards is always the highest-value action.
2. Extend suit ladders in either direction. When you can attach a card to an existing same-suit run (up or down), prioritise moves that add to a long ladder over starting a new one.
3. Exploit upward moves to unblock. If a card is trapped under an incompatible stack, check whether it can be moved upward (one rank higher, same suit) to a legal attachment. This escape route doesn't exist in Russian.
4. Preserve connector ranks. Mid-range cards (5-9) are the most flexible connectors - they have both an upward and a downward valid attachment in each suit. Avoid burying them under long tails.
5. King placement with purpose. Empty columns accept Kings only. Don't fill with a King unless you have a Queen of the same suit ready to continue the ladder.

Strategies to win Alaska Solitaire

• Identify reversible moves early. Alaska's key advantage over Russian is the ability to reverse a dead-end move. When you place ♠6 on ♠7, you haven't committed - if ♠8 appears later you can always extend the ladder the other way.
• Avoid one-way commitments. Placing a card in a position where it can only move deeper into a long stack (no valid upward or downward escape) is an expensive move. Check whether a route back exists before making it.
• Consolidate suits as you go. Same as Russian, the endgame requires complete suit chains per column. Start grouping same-suit cards early rather than mixing freely into any legal spot.

Alaska Solitaire rules and objective

Build four suit foundations from Ace to King. In the tableau place cards of the same suit onto a card exactly one rank higher or one rank lower (no wrapping). Move any face-up card plus all cards above it to a legal destination.

Game setup

Seven tableau columns with the standard Yukon deal (0-6 face-down, 1-5 face-up per column). No stock pile, no waste, no redeals. Empty columns accept Kings only.

Alaska vs. Russian vs. Yukon compared

How difficult is Alaska Solitaire?

Alaska sits between Russian (harder) and Yukon (easier) in practice. The same-suit restriction still limits options significantly - but the bidirectionality eliminates the most frustrating Russian dead-ends, where a card is perfectly positioned but can't attach to anything because all available targets are in the wrong direction.

What is Alaska Solitaire win percentage?

Experienced players typically see 12-28% win rates. The spread is wide because deal quality (how evenly suits are distributed across columns) has a strong impact on win probability.

What is the difference between Alaska Solitaire and Russian Solitaire?

One rule: Russian only allows descending same-suit moves. Alaska also permits ascending same-suit moves (one rank up, same suit, no wrap). Everything else is identical. This single addition meaningfully improves recovery rates by making it possible to extend a suit ladder in either direction.

Alaska Solitaire FAQ

Is Alaska Solitaire easier than Russian Solitaire?

Generally yes. The upward attachment option doubles the valid targets for each card in most positions. When Russian reaches a deadlock because every suited card can only move deeper, Alaska can often find an upward escape route that breaks the jam.

Can you wrap ranks in Alaska Solitaire?

No. Rank adjacency is strictly non-wrapping. A King can accept a Queen below it or remain alone - but it cannot accept an Ace as an upward extension. Similarly an Ace can only accept a 2 above it (or sit alone) - not a King below.

What is the best Alaska Solitaire opening strategy?

Focus exclusively on revealing hidden cards for the first 10-15 moves. Exploit bidirectional moves that extend existing suit ladders while doing so. Avoid building long non-ladder stacks early - they consume the flexibility that Alaska's up-moves provide.

Does Alaska Solitaire have a stock pile?

No. Standard Alaska uses the Yukon canonical deal - all 52 cards placed across seven tableau columns at the start, with no stock pile or draw mechanism.

How do I improve at Alaska Solitaire fast?

Develop the habit of checking upward attachments before concluding a position is stuck. Players who only scan downward miss 30-40% of legal moves in a typical Alaska position. The second improvement is refusing to commit a mid-range connector card (5-9) to a deep stack unless you have confirmed it can exit.

Other solitaire games you may enjoy

For a stricter same-suit challenge, Russian Solitaire removes the upward option. For the original alternating-color version, Yukon Solitaire is more accessible. If you enjoy constraint-based open-information games, FreeCell offers an entirely different style of challenge.