Forty Thieves solitaire online
Reviewed · Every classic solitaire, and where to play it online
Forty Thieves is a two-deck game with ten columns, same-suit building, one-card moves and a single pass through the stock. It is one of the hardest common solitaires and a favourite of patient players.
Picks are editorial, from the publisher of Solitaire Online (solitaire-online.com). They are not a measured ranking of every place to play these games.
How Forty Thieves plays
Forty cards are dealt face up into ten columns of four, giving the game its name. The other 64 form the stock, turned one card at a time with no redeal. Build columns down in the same suit, moving one card at a time. Any card may fill an empty column. Fill all eight foundations from Ace to King to win.
How to win more games
- Send Aces and 2s up immediately.
- Empty a column as early as you can. It is the only tool for moving more than one card.
- Treat the stock as a last resort. There are 64 draws in the whole game and no second pass.
- Avoid burying low cards under long same-suit runs you cannot move.
What the best online Forty Thieves needs
Ten readable columns, an accurate one-card movement rule, a visible stock count, and unlimited undo, since much of the skill is testing a line of play and backing out.
Where to play
Our pick is Forty Thieves on Solitaire Online, which plays the traditional one-card, one-pass rules. The Forty Thieves guide has a plan for your first deal.
Questions & answers
Why is it called Forty Thieves?
Forty cards are dealt to the tableau at the start.
What can go on an empty column?
Any single card, unlike Klondike's King-only rule.
Sources
- Solitaire Online: how to play Forty Thieves: Two decks, one pass, one card at a time.
- Pagat.com: patience and solitaire games: A long-running independent reference for card game rules.
Strategy tips and picks are original editorial guidance. A product's own description supports what it offers, not how it compares.
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Best Solitaire Online. “Forty Thieves solitaire online.” Content reviewed 8 November 2026.
https://bestsolitaireonline.com/forty-thieves/