Solitaire players are just realising Microsoft 'totally changed' card game's name

At some point in your life, you've probably played a game of Solitaire. Whether with cards, or on your phone, most people have had a whirl at trying to master the popular card game; however, even though it's super popular, there's one thing about the game that many people don't actually know.

If you've never heard of the game before, Solitaire can actually refer to a variety of one-player card games. The most common type, often called Klondike, centres around arranging a deck of cards into four foundation piles, ordered by suit and rank (ace through king), but there are other versions of solitaire too, and the term can also refer to other one-player games that involve cards or even a single gem.

However, as much as you may know how to play the game, there is less you may know about its history. The classic card game most people call Solitaire is actually named Klondike, and it's become super popular online in recent years.

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Furthermore, in the UK and much of Europe, it’s also traditionally known as Patience. "Solitaire" is a general term for any one-player card game, and Microsoft helped popularise the name Solitaire globally.

Games expert Dmitry Kandratsyeu, Head of Product at Solitaires.com, said: "From a quick game at work to killing time on your nan’s PC, most of us have played Solitaire. But that classic card game you know and love isn’t called Solitaire.

"In fact, its real name is Klondike. The name you’ve been referring to for all these years is actually just a category. Solitaire means any single-player card game, and Klondike just happens to be the one that went viral before going viral was even a thing.

"Here in the UK, you may also hear people refer to the game as Patience, a name still commonly used across Europe. In Finland, it’s Pasianssi. In Poland, it’s Pasjans and in France it’s known as La Patience. But, when Microsoft added the game to Windows 3.0 back in 1990, they labelled it simply as 'Solitaire', and that name stuck, especially for those who grew up playing it on screen."

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Dmitry added: "The name Klondike comes from the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s, when Canadian prospectors would pass the time with a patience-testing card game. It eventually became popular in the US, and when Microsoft digitised it, the rest was history, or should we say, computer history.

"If things weren’t confusing enough, old-school Americans often refer to it as Canfield, named after the 19th-century gambler who supposedly made the game popular in casinos. But while Canfield is related, it’s a different version of Solitaire altogether, with its own distinct set of rules.

"This just shows how many different names and variations this one game has around the world, even though the core idea remains largely the same. One thing’s for sure, whether you call it Solitaire, Klondike, Patience or even Canfield, it’s a game that’s stuck around for good reason. From killing time on your lunch break to tapping away on your nan’s old PC, we’ve all played it at some point."

If you didn't know, Solitaire actually goes back centuries, but it's believed to have originated in France during the 18th century. From the peaceful parlours of aristocrats to modern digital screens, the game has changed and developed over the years, captivating hearts across generations.

Now you can play the game online, which is super useful for anyone in need of a quick mental challenge or a moment of relaxation. You can play for free and put your brain to good use by trying out a game.

It's super easy to play online if you don't have cards. You can play the game for free, and you don't need to download anything to play either.

If you play Solitaire on a PC or smartphone, the game flow is easy to get to grips with. You can find out more at Solitaires.com