Play Giza Solitaire Online for Free (Pyramid Grid Solitaire)
Giza Solitaire, created by puzzle designer Michael Keller, is one of the most structurally distinct Pyramid variants ever conceived. There is no stock pile. Instead, the 24 cards that standard Pyramid deals to a stock are laid out in an eight-column grid of three overlapping cards below the pyramid, creating a second arena of pairing opportunities that interacts with the pyramid in every move. Clear all 52 cards to win. Play free, no download required.
What is Giza Solitaire?
Giza Solitaire is a pairing patience game played with one standard 52-card deck. The layout is split into two zones: the pyramid and the grid. The pyramid follows the familiar seven-row triangle, 28 cards with the apex at the top and a fully exposed base row of seven cards at the bottom. The remaining 24 cards deal into an eight-column grid of three cards each, stacked vertically, with only the topmost card of each column exposed at any time.
Cards are removed in pairs summing to 13, or Kings alone. You may pair any exposed pyramid card with any exposed grid card, pair two exposed pyramid cards together, or pair two exposed grid cards together. There is no stock to draw from and no waste pile. Every card is already on the table from the start, and every removal directly changes what is available in both zones simultaneously. Clearing all 52 cards is the win condition.
Giza Solitaire history
Giza Solitaire was designed by Michael Keller, an American solitaire game designer and author whose work appeared in Solitaire Digest and other card-game publications in the late 20th century. Keller designed several original patience games, and Giza represents his rethinking of Pyramid Solitaire from first principles: what if you replaced the hidden stock with full information? The name Giza references the Giza Plateau in Egypt, home of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, the three most iconic pyramid structures in the world. The eight-column grid can be read as the plateau surrounding the monument. In digital form, Giza has attracted players who want a Pyramid game where every card is visible from move one, eliminating hidden information without making the game trivially easy.
How to Play Giza Solitaire
Giza's open layout means every decision is based on complete information. Here is the full sequence of play:
- Deal 28 cards into the seven-row pyramid. Row 1 (apex) holds one card; row 7 (base) holds seven cards, all fully exposed at the start. Each card in rows 1 through 6 overlaps two cards in the row below.
- Deal the remaining 24 cards into eight vertical columns of three cards each below the pyramid. Only the top card of each column is exposed; the two beneath it are blocked.
- A pyramid card is exposed when both of its lower blockers have been removed. A grid card is exposed when it is the topmost remaining card in its column.
- Tap any two exposed cards (pyramid-to-pyramid, pyramid-to-grid, or grid-to-grid) that sum to 13 to remove both.
- Tap any exposed King alone to remove it.
- When a grid card is removed, the card beneath it in the same column becomes exposed.
- There is no stock and no draw; all decisions are made within the two zones from the very first move.
- Win by removing all 52 cards: all 28 pyramid cards and all 24 grid cards.
Strategies to win Giza Solitaire
Giza is a full-information puzzle, meaning skill determines outcomes far more than luck compared to stock-driven Pyramid variants. The following strategies are specific to the dual-zone layout.
- Identify blocking complements immediately. Because all cards are face-up, you can calculate whether a key pyramid card's complement is buried in the grid and which column it is in. Plan the column-clearing sequence needed to reach it before you make any moves.
- Balance grid column depths. Clearing one grid column completely while leaving others untouched strands useful complements deep under many layers. Try to expose the second row of the grid across multiple columns rather than drilling one column to the bottom.
- Use grid-to-grid pairs to progress the grid independently. Grid-to-grid pairings advance the grid without consuming pyramid exposure progress. Use them when the cards involved are not needed as complements for specific pyramid cards.
- Work the apex down from the start. Every pyramid card cleared exposes one card in the row above it. Since no stock can rescue you, pyramid access must be manufactured entirely by your removal sequence. Prioritize moves that open the highest reachable pyramid row.
- Save Kings for positional clears. A King that happens to be blocking access to a row of the pyramid should be removed as soon as it becomes exposed. An isolated King in the grid with nothing urgent blocked above it can wait.
Giza Solitaire rules and objective
The objective is to remove all 52 cards from both the pyramid and the eight-column grid. Cards are removed as pairs summing to 13 or as solo Kings. A pyramid card is exposed when both of its lower-row blockers are gone. A grid card is exposed when it sits at the top of its column. Cross-zone pairing (pyramid card with grid card) is fully legal and is often the key to breaking difficult positions. There is no stock pile, no waste pile, and no redeals. The game is played entirely within the two starting zones.
Game setup
Shuffle a 52-card deck. Deal seven rows of pyramid cards: one to row 1 (apex), two to row 2, up through seven to row 7 (28 cards total). Then deal the remaining 24 cards into eight columns of three below the pyramid, dealing column by column. Each column's bottom card is dealt first and its top card last, so the top card is the third dealt to that column. No cards are held in reserve or set aside.
Giza Solitaire variants and similar games
Giza occupies a unique position in the Pyramid family because it replaces the stock with a fixed open grid. Here is how it compares to the closest relatives:
| Variant | Non-pyramid cards | Win condition | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pyramid | 24-card face-down stock | Clear pyramid only | ~5 to 8% |
| Pharaoh | 7 reserve + 17-card stock | Clear pyramid only | ~25% |
| Giza (this game) | 24 cards in 8-column grid (face-up) | Clear all 52 cards | ~20% |
| Relaxed Pyramid | 24-card stock; 1 redeal | Clear pyramid only | ~28% |
| Tut's Tomb | 24-card stock; unlimited redeals | Clear pyramid only | ~55% |
How difficult is Giza Solitaire?
Giza is one of the harder Pyramid variants despite being a full-information game. The absence of a stock means you cannot cycle through hidden cards looking for a lucky complement; every card is fixed in place from the first move. The dual-zone structure also means that winning requires simultaneously managing pyramid exposure and grid column depths, a more complex planning challenge than any single-zone game in the family. The stricter win condition (all 52 cards, not just the 28 pyramid cards) further reduces the win rate compared to games where stock and waste cards are irrelevant to the outcome.
What is Giza Solitaire's win percentage?
Giza Solitaire has a win rate of approximately 20% under skilled play. While the full information theoretically helps, the rigid grid structure and the requirement to clear every single card make winnable deals rarer than in stock-based variants with partial win conditions. Deals where critical complements are locked in the same grid column or where pyramid and grid dependencies form circular blocks are unwinnable regardless of move quality. The 20% figure reflects the proportion of shuffles where a complete clear is mathematically possible.
What is the difference between Giza Solitaire and Pharaoh Solitaire?
Both Giza and Pharaoh Solitaire use the same seven-row pyramid and the same pair-to-13 removal mechanic. The difference lies in how the remaining 24 non-pyramid cards are handled. In Pharaoh, seven of those cards deal face-up into a reserve row that is always available for pairing, and the other 17 form a face-down stock drawn one at a time. In Giza, all 24 non-pyramid cards deal face-up into an eight-column grid of three overlapping cards, with no stock whatsoever.
Beyond setup, the win conditions differ fundamentally. Pharaoh asks you to clear only the 28 pyramid cards; reserve and stock cards are irrelevant once the pyramid is empty. Giza requires clearing all 52 cards including the entire grid. This makes Giza structurally harder and more demanding, while Pharaoh's reserve row provides a constant safety net of accessible complements that Giza's grid does not replicate.
Giza Solitaire FAQ
How does the Giza grid work and how are cards exposed in it?
The Giza grid consists of eight vertical columns, each containing three cards stacked one on top of another. At the start of the game, only the topmost card in each column is exposed and available for play. When you remove the top card of a column (by pairing it with another exposed card), the second card in that column becomes the new top and is now exposed. When that card is removed, the third and final card becomes exposed. An empty column stays empty; no new cards are ever added to the grid during play.
Can Giza grid cards pair with each other, or only with pyramid cards?
Grid cards can pair with each other freely. If the top card of grid column 3 and the top card of grid column 7 sum to 13, you can select both and remove them. Grid-to-grid pairs are often the most efficient moves in Giza because they advance the grid without depending on pyramid exposure progress. You can also pair a grid top with a pyramid card, or two pyramid cards with each other. All three pairing combinations are legal as long as both cards are exposed.
Is there a stock pile in Giza Solitaire?
No. Giza Solitaire has no stock pile and no waste pile. All 52 cards are dealt to the table before the first move: 28 to the pyramid and 24 to the eight-column grid. This is the most fundamental way Giza differs from standard Pyramid and most other Pyramid variants. There are no hidden cards to draw, no redeals to fall back on, and no randomness introduced during play. Every decision is made with complete information about the entire layout.
How many cards are in the Giza Solitaire grid?
The Giza grid contains 24 cards total, arranged in eight columns of three cards each. This is exactly the number of cards that standard Pyramid deals to the stock pile, so Giza can be thought of as converting the hidden stock into a visible, structured grid. Eight columns times three cards per column equals 24 cards, and together with the 28-card pyramid that accounts for the full 52-card deck with no cards left over.
What is the best strategy for clearing the Giza grid efficiently?
The most effective approach is to identify which grid cards are blocking key complements for pyramid cards, then clear those specific grid columns as a priority. Since all cards are visible, you can trace the exact sequence needed: if the complement for your row-5 apex card is in the middle of grid column 4, you need to remove the cards above it in that column first. Beyond targeted column clearing, look for grid-to-grid pairs involving cards from different columns that do not serve as complements for specific pyramid cards. Those pairs advance the grid at no opportunity cost. Avoid draining any single column entirely if the bottom card of that column is needed as a pyramid complement that is not yet accessible.