Baker's Dozen Solitaire

Baker's Dozen is an open solitaire game first published in 1883 by William Brisbane Dick in Dick's Games of Patience, one of the earliest English-language solitaire books. The name comes from its thirteen tableau columns, echoing the old baker's tradition of throwing in a thirteenth loaf when you order a dozen. Unlike Klondike, every card is dealt face up at the start, so you see the entire puzzle before you make a single move. There are no hidden cards and no stock to draw from. The only luck is in the deal itself. Skilled players win roughly three quarters of all games, which makes Baker's Dozen one of the more forgiving solitaire variants. A 2018 study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that playing open-information puzzle games improves planning and working memory in older adults. Deal a hand in your browser and put that to the test.

1. All 52 cards are dealt face up into 13 columns of four cards each. Before play begins, every King that is not already at the bottom of its column is moved to the bottom, so Kings never block the cards beneath them.
2. Four empty foundation slots sit above the columns, one for each suit.
3. Click a column's top card to select it, then click a foundation to send it up. Foundations build up by suit from Ace to King.
4. To move a card between columns, select it and click another column. Tableau cards build down by one rank regardless of suit, so a red 7 can sit on a black 8 or a red 8.
5. Only the top card of each column is available. You cannot move groups of cards together.
6. Empty columns stay empty forever. No card can fill them. Build all four foundations from Ace to King to win.

• One 52-card deck is dealt into 13 columns of four cards, all face up.
• Before play, every King is shifted to the bottom of its column. Multiple Kings in one column keep their relative order.
• Foundations build up by suit from Ace through King. Only an Ace can start a foundation.
• Tableau columns build down by one rank regardless of suit. Any suit can stack on any other suit.
• Only the exposed top card of each column may be moved. Multi-card moves are not allowed.
• Empty columns can never be refilled. Once a column empties, it is out of the game.
• You win when all 52 cards rest on the four foundations.

• Move Aces to the foundations the instant they reach the top of a column. Holding an Ace blocks the cards beneath it.
• Plan your King placements before the deal is set. Because Kings drop to the bottom automatically, the cards above them are the ones you must free first.
• Build long descending sequences on the tableau before committing cards to the foundations. A long run gives you flexibility to reorder later.
• Avoid emptying a column too early. An empty column is dead space that can never hold a card again, so clear columns only when nothing useful remains underneath.
• Watch for blocked cards. If a card you need is trapped under a higher card of the same suit with no lower card to receive that higher card, you may have a deadlock. Spot these traps early.

• Canfield Solitaire: Another open-builder solitaire, but with a stock, a waste pile, and only 13 cards in the initial tableau. Faster and harder than Baker's Dozen.
• FreeCell: The most famous open-information solitaire. All cards are face up, and four free cells let you park cards temporarily. Nearly every deal is winnable.
• Good Measure: A close relative of Baker's Dozen with a slightly different deal and the Kings already placed at the bottom. The strategy feels similar but the layouts differ.

• Every card is visible from the first move, so the game rewards planning over luck.
• The roughly 75 percent win rate keeps games satisfying without feeling handed to you.
• Games finish in 5 to 10 minutes, fitting a coffee break neatly.
• The King-to-bottom rule removes the most frustrating blocker in solitaire, making the puzzle fairer.

Play Baker's Dozen directly in your browser. No downloads. No registration. Our version automatically shifts Kings to the bottom of their columns, highlights every legal move, and tracks your time and moves. Unlimited undo lets you experiment with different sequences. It runs smoothly on desktop, tablet, and phone. Deal a hand and solve a 140-year-old puzzle.

Baker's Dozen is a pure planning puzzle. Every card sits in plain sight, the Kings step out of your way, and the rest is up to you. Build the foundations, sequence the columns, and avoid deadlocks. Deal a hand now and solve a solitaire that has challenged players for over 140 years.

• Baker's Dozen (solitaire) - Wikipedia
• Cognitive benefits of casual puzzle games in older adults - Frontiers in Psychology (2018)