Play Caprice Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

Work two decks across eight foundations that climb from Ace and fall from King at once, routing every middle card home before your one stock pass runs dry.

Caprice Solitaire is a classic two-deck patience that belongs to the same family as Chequers and Nationale, in which the eight foundations are worked from both ends at once. Four of them start on the Aces and climb in suit to the King, while the other four start on the Kings and fall in suit to the Ace, so every one of the 104 cards eventually finds a home. Because the base cards are dealt for you before play begins, the whole game is about routing the middle ranks to the pile that wants them.

What sets Caprice apart from its stockless cousin Nationale is the reserve of cards you keep in hand. Only twelve single-card columns are laid out at the start, and when your moves dry up you can deal a fresh card onto every column from the stock. That deal is your safety net, but you only get to work through the stock once, so spending it too early can leave you stranded later on. Skilful play comes down to keeping the tableau fluid — since columns build up or down within a single suit, a well-placed card can be nudged back and forth to expose exactly the rank a foundation is waiting for, and an empty column is precious because any card may start a new one.

For more of that same push-from-both-ends feeling, head to Chequers Solitaire or Nationale Solitaire. You might also enjoy Frog Solitaire, another two-deck patience built around the foundations.

If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.

Enjoy playing!

How to play Caprice Solitaire

Layout:

8 foundation piles: Four piles build up in suit from Ace to King, and four piles build down in suit from King to Ace. An Ace of each suit and a King of each suit are dealt here at the start.

12 tableau piles: Build up or down in the same suit. Each pile is dealt a single face-up card at the start of the game, and any card may fill an empty column.

Stock: Click to deal one card onto every tableau column. There is a single pass through the stock and no redeal.

Foundation:

There are eight foundation piles, split into two groups of four. The first group is seeded with an Ace of each suit and builds up in suit; the second group is seeded with a King of each suit and builds down in suit.

A card can be added to an Ace pile only if it's one rank higher and the same suit as the pile's current top card, and to a King pile only if it's one rank lower and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the 8 of spades can go on the Ace pile showing the 7 of spades or on the King pile showing the 9 of spades.

The top card of a foundation may be moved back to the tableau if you need it.

Tableau:

Twelve tableau piles, each dealt a single face-up card to begin.

A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank higher or lower and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the only cards that fit on an 8 of spades are the 7 of spades and 9 of spades.

Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card are free to be played onto the foundations or any other tableau pile.

Any card may fill an empty tableau column.

Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.

Stock and waste:

The remaining cards form the stock, and there is no waste pile.

When you click on the stock, one card is dealt onto each of the twelve tableau columns. You may work through the stock only once, and there is no redeal.