How to Play Agnes Bernauer Solitaire
Master the Klondike-flavoured Agnes Bernauer layout with reserve-row tactics, alternating colours, and master-card foundations.
Master Card Setup & Reserve Row
Shuffle a standard 52-card deck, then deal the tableau face up in a right-aligned staircase—column one shows a single card while column seven shows seven cards.
The 29th card becomes the master card. Its rank seeds every foundation pile and dictates which rank may fill empty tableau spaces (one rank lower, wrapping King ↔ Ace).
After placing the master card above the tableau, deal one exposed card into each of the seven reserve depots below the tableau. The remaining 16 cards form the stock.
Alternating-Colour Tableau Rules
- Build tableau columns downward in alternating colours, just like Klondike.
- Move any legal partial or full sequence as long as the target card preserves the alternating-colour descent.
- Empty tableau piles only accept the rank immediately below the master card's value (Ace master → Kings, Seven master → Sixes).
Using the Reserve Row
Reserve piles behave like a bank of face-up cards. Only the top card of each reserve depot is available.
Cards can move from the reserve directly to tableau columns or onto foundations when they fit the sequence.
Stock Deals & Cycling
Whenever you exhaust useful moves, tap the stock to cover every reserve depot with a new card (seven cards per deal).
You keep the reserve stacks face up, so track buried cards and free them by clearing the depot above.
Winning Tips for Agnes Bernauer
- Prioritise clearing reserve depots that hide master-sequence cards—you only get those ranks from the reserve or tableau.
- Open tableau columns early so you have parking spots for master-card fillers and fresh reserve cards.
- Watch the vacancy rule: set aside the correct rank while you plan a column clearance, otherwise you may stall the board.