How to Play SolitaireĬlassic Solitaire, also known as klondike solitaire, is arguably the most popular form of solitaire today. Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert, was notably fond of patience games. Some game variations have also been called patience, especially in England, Germany, and Portugal. This is also supported by the use of the alternative term 'cabale', which originated from the Medieval Latin 'caballa', meaning secret knowledge. The card game Solitaire likely originated from cartomancy or tarot as an early form of fortune telling due to how cards are laid out in both practices. However, this was a different game as it used pegs instead of cards. One of the first documented references to the word 'solitaire' was in a 17th-century engraving featuring Anne-Joulie de Rohan-Chabot, Princess Soubise, playing solitaire.

The origins of the game are a little hazy. The game involves arranging a shuffled deck of cards into a specified order or tableau, no matter the variation. Solitaire is the collective term for hundreds of card games and activities requiring only one person.

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