Grandfather's Clock Solitaire
How to play Grandfather's Clock
Grandfather's Clock is a one-deck solitaire game with twelve foundations laid out as a clock face, each built up by suit until its top card shows its hour, from eight face-up columns built down in any suit.
Twelve foundations stand round a clock face and build up by suit to their hours, from eight columns built down in any suit.
The goal of Grandfather's Clock
Move every card onto the twelve foundations round the clock face. Each one builds up by suit until its top card shows its hour, with the Jack as eleven, the Queen as twelve and the Ace as one.
How to set up Grandfather's Clock
Twelve cards start on the clock: the 10 of hearts at one o'clock, the Jack of spades at two, the Queen of diamonds at three and the King of clubs at four, then the 2 of hearts at five round to the 9 of clubs at twelve, the suits turning hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs. The other 40 cards are dealt face up into eight columns of five. There are no free cells and no stock.
Grandfather's Clock rules
Columns build down one rank at a time whatever the suit, and nothing goes on an Ace. The top card of a column can move onto a foundation, onto a column where it builds or into an empty column, and any card can fill an empty column.
Each foundation builds up by suit from its clock card and goes on past the King to the Ace. The piles that start at ten, Jack, Queen and King take four more cards and end on the Ace, two, three and four; the other eight take three. A pile that shows its hour takes nothing more.
A run already built in order moves as one move if it is no longer than one card doubled for each empty column. When it moves into an empty column, that column does not count. A card on a foundation never comes back into play.
Click a card to play it: to its foundation if it fits, otherwise onto a column, and only then into an empty column. Drag a card or a run to choose where it goes yourself. With Autoplay off in Settings, only a drag moves a card.
How to win at Grandfather's Clock
You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. When the cards left are lined up so the next card each foundation needs is always on top, Auto complete, on by default in Settings, moves them up for you. The game is stuck when no card has a legal move left.
Grandfather's Clock strategy tips
Every foundation wants a card from the first move, twelve at once. Look for those cards near the top of the columns before you move anything else.
An Ace goes home only after the King of its suit, so a high card buried under an Ace can hold up a whole pile. The King of clubs starts on the clock, so the Ace of clubs can go up at once.
Any card can fill an empty column, and each empty one doubles the run you can move, so clearing a short column early pays off.
Grandfather's Clock questions and answers
How do you play Grandfather's Clock solitaire?
Twelve cards start round a clock face and the other 40 are dealt into eight columns. Move the top card of a column onto a card one rank higher in any suit, or onto a foundation that wants it. Each foundation builds up by suit until it reaches its hour, and the game is won when the whole clock is built.
Why does each pile on the clock stop at a different card?
Each pile ends on the card that matches its place on the clock face, with the Ace at one o'clock, the Jack at eleven and the Queen at twelve. The next card of its suit is already the first card of another pile, so the twelve piles share the deck: the ones starting at ten, Jack, Queen and King take four more cards and the rest take three.
Can every Grandfather's Clock deal be won?
Nearly all of them. Given 100 shuffled Grandfather's Clock deals, the solver proved 98 winnable and 2 lost, settling every one in the quick search it makes while dealing. Turn on Winnable in the menu beside New deal and you are only dealt boards the solver has proved, which never took more than two shuffles in testing.
Is there a daily Grandfather's Clock game?
Yes. Grandfather's Clock has a daily board, the same deal for everyone that day, dealt the way a Winnable board is. You need to be logged in to play it.