CHAIN THE PEAKS. SAVE THE DRAW.
TriPeaks Solitaire
TriPeaks deals 28 cards into three overlapping peaks above a face-up row of ten, and asks you to clear them all onto a single waste pile — each play exactly one rank above or below the card showing, with Aces and Kings joined in a loop. It is the fastest, friendliest game in the Golf family: we ran an exact solver over 1,000 random deals and 96.6% were fully clearable. No ads, no sign-up, unlimited undo, and a hint button backed by the same solver.
Learn TriPeaks in 90 seconds: rules, chains and tips
The three-peak deal, the one-rank-up-or-down rule, how chains drive scoring, and five habits for higher scores. Full written rules follow below.
In this video
01 · READ THE FOUR ROWS
How to play TriPeaks solitaire
The tableau is 28 cards in four overlapping rows: three one-card summits, then rows of six and nine face down, then a face-up row of ten across the bottom. A covered card turns face up the moment both cards overlapping it are gone, so the board opens from the bottom up. The other 24 cards form the stock: one starts the waste, and the remaining 23 are drawn one at a time. Tap any exposed card exactly one rank above or below the waste top to move it onto the waste, where it immediately becomes the new target — long chains off a single draw are the heart of the game. When nothing plays, draw. There are no redeals: 23 draws is the whole budget, and you win the instant all three peaks are gone.
02 · ONE RANK. SUITS DO NOT MATTER.
The wrap rule: Aces and Kings connect
In TriPeaks the ranks form a circle: a King plays on an Ace and an Ace plays on a King, so a run like Queen–King–Ace–Two is perfectly legal. That one rule is why the game feels so generous — every rank has two live neighbours, so no card is ever a dead end. It is also the sharpest contrast with our Golf solitaire, which uses the strict rule: there, nothing plays on a King and the game is bluntly harder. If you arrive from Golf, retrain your eye — the K–A seam is where TriPeaks chains keep going.
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03 · EXACT, NOT ESTIMATED
Can every TriPeaks game be won?
Nearly — and we measured it rather than guessed. Our exact solver enumerated every reachable position of 1,000 randomly dealt games under these rules (wrap on, no redeals): 96.6% were provably clearable, and every verdict was exact — no deal was too big to solve out. Because random deals are already this winnable, New Game here deals genuinely at random; there is no curated pool to lean on. Roughly one deal in thirty is provably dead, usually because the buried peak cards never find a neighbour in the stock — when that happens, the deadlock notice is honest, not a nudge. The hint button consults the same exact search of your deal and points along the best line it can prove.
EXACT SOLVER SAMPLE
966 clearable 34 provably dead 1,000 genuinely random deals · no filtered pool04 · FLIPS ARE THE CURRENCY
Chains, flips, and the three peaks
Skilled TriPeaks is about spending draws slowly. Every card you clear by chaining costs nothing; every draw burns one of 23. The currency that wins games is the flip — a play that removes the last cover from a face-down card and turns it up. Two plays may look equal on rank, but the one that flips a card hands you new options and the one that flips nothing just shortens the board. The three peaks fall separately, so watch for the trap of felling one peak while the others stay sealed: clearing evenly keeps more of the board live per draw. The endgame is arithmetic — with a handful of tableau cards left, check whether the remaining stock can still reach their ranks before you spend your last draws.
05 · TWO FIXED LESSONS
Practice chains—not lucky shuffles
Both lessons restart to the same solver-verified deal. First clear six cards without wasting the opening chain. Then keep the board moving until one complete peak falls.
01Clear six cardsTry it on the exact deal from the diagram above: the A♦ already tops the waste, and 2♣ → 3♥ → 4♥ → 3♦ chains four cards away before you ever touch the stock. Clear six cards.+
02Fell one peakKeep chaining through the same solver-verified deal until one of the three summit cards leaves the tableau. The counter is the shape of the board, not the number of draws.+
06 · THE CHAIN ORDER
TriPeaks strategy tips
Habits that separate a cleared board from a stalled one:
- 01Ride every chain
Ride every chain to its end before drawing — a draw that interrupts a live chain usually wastes both the draw and the chain.
- 02Flip before tidying
When two plays are legal, take the one that flips a face-down card; exposure is the only resource that grows.
- 03Count Q–K–A–2 together
Use the wrap deliberately: count Q–K–A–2 as one continuous ladder when you plan a chain, not as two separate ends.
- 04Open the sealed peak
Clear toward the peak that is still sealed — an early summit is worth less than three half-open slopes.
- 05Count the final stock
Late in the game, count the stock: if a stranded card’s neighbours cannot appear in the draws you have left, stop spending on that peak.
07 · QUICK ANSWERS
TriPeaks solitaire FAQ
01How is TriPeaks solitaire set up?+
Deal 28 cards into three overlapping peaks: three summit cards, a row of six and a row of nine face down, and a face-up row of ten across the bottom. The remaining 24 cards form the stock, with one card flipped to start the waste. Covered cards turn face up when both cards overlapping them are removed.
02Which cards can I play in TriPeaks?+
Any fully exposed tableau card exactly one rank above or below the current waste top. Suits never matter. The ranks wrap around: Kings play on Aces and Aces on Kings, so a 2 and a King are both legal on an Ace.
03What percentage of TriPeaks games can be won?+
We ran an exact solver over 1,000 randomly dealt games under these rules and 96.6% were provably clearable. Deals here are random — there is no pre-filtered pool — so that number is what you actually face. The few unwinnable deals are provably dead, not badly played.
04Is there a redeal in TriPeaks solitaire?+
No. The stock holds 23 draws after the opening flip and is passed through once. When the stock is empty and no exposed card plays on the waste, the game ends — budgeting draws is the core skill.
05What is the difference between TriPeaks and Golf solitaire?+
Both clear a layout onto a waste pile one rank up or down. TriPeaks deals three overlapping peaks with face-down cards and lets ranks wrap (Ace connects to King), which makes most deals winnable. Golf — as played here — deals seven open columns, forbids the wrap, and treats Kings as dead ends, which is why it is much harder.
06Do the hints use a solver?+
Yes — the hint button consults an exact search of your actual deal and suggests the move on the best line it can prove, preferring plays that flip face-down cards. It is the same solver we used to measure the 96.6% win rate.