Ridge Solitaire
Ridge Solitaire is a quick solitaire card game. Thirty-five cards are dealt face up in seven columns. You clear them by playing the bottom card of any column onto the pile when it is one rank higher or lower than the pile card.
How do you play Ridge Solitaire?
- Press Play. A standard 52-card deck is shuffled and dealt into seven columns of five cards, with one card on the pile.
- Click the bottom card of a column if it is exactly one rank above or below the pile card. Suits do not matter.
- Ace is low and King is high. You cannot go from King to Ace or Ace to King.
- When no column card can be played, draw from the stock to get a new pile card.
- The round ends when every column card is cleared, or when the stock is empty and no moves remain.
What are the controls?
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Click or tap a card | Play it to the pile |
| Click the stock | Draw a card |
| 1 to 7 | Play that column |
| Space or D | Draw |
Tips for a higher score
- Look for the longest run before you play. Clearing 6-7-8-7-6 across several columns beats a single quick play.
- Prefer plays that uncover cards in the tallest columns. Short columns are easier to finish later.
- Do not draw while you still have a play available unless the run you see from the next card is clearly longer.
- Kings and Aces are dead ends, so play them when a long run is not available.
Ridge Solitaire FAQ
How is Ridge Solitaire scored?
Each cleared card is worth 10 points. Clearing all 35 adds 150 points plus 20 for every card left in the stock.
Do suits or colors matter?
No. Only rank matters: one higher or one lower than the pile card.
Can every deal be won?
No. Many deals cannot be fully cleared, so the goal is the highest score.
Is this a traditional solitaire?
Its rules follow a well-known public domain style of solitaire that builds up or down by one rank. The layout and art here are our own.
Related news
More free games

Tangleword
Unscramble jumbled words against a 75 second clock. A free word puzzle game you can play in your browser on phone or desktop.

Tide Pool Swap
Swap shells, pearls and starfish to line up three or more in this free match-three puzzle. 25 moves, chain reactions, no download.

Rooftop Dash
Run across city rooftops at sunset, jump the gaps and dodge vents in this free one-button endless runner for phone and desktop.
More from Sam
Larger games Sam Barth is making on his own:
- Lantern Survivors: an action game about holding back the dark with a lantern (link coming soon)
- Dead Acre: a wave-survival first-person shooter (link coming soon)
- Starforge: a sci-fi looter-shooter (link coming soon)