How to play Pyramid Solitaire

Pyramid is a quick, breezy patience built around a single bit of arithmetic: every pair you remove must add up to 13. Twenty-eight cards are dealt into a pyramid of seven overlapping rows, and your job is to dismantle it from the bottom up. Rounds are short and a touch luck-dependent, which makes Pyramid a perfect game for a spare few minutes.

Goal

Clear the whole pyramid by removing all of its cards in pairs that total 13 (Kings leave on their own). Empty the pyramid and you win the deal.

Card values

Aces count as 1, numeral cards as their face value, Jacks as 11, Queens as 12, and Kings as 13. Useful pairs to remember: Ace + Queen, 2 + Jack, 3 + 10, 4 + 9, 5 + 8, and 6 + 7.

Moves

• A card is "available" only when nothing overlaps it from below — corners free up first, then the rows above.
• Click two available cards whose values sum to 13 and both disappear.
• Click any King to remove it on its own.
• The top card of the waste can be paired with any available pyramid card, or with the stock.
• Click the stock to flip its next card onto the waste. You get one recycle through the stock when it runs out.

Strategy

Think of the pyramid's overlaps as constraints, not choices — you can only take what's exposed, so plan the order that unlocks the most cards. When two pairs are both legal, prefer the one that frees a card you'll need to match something stuck higher up. Save the stock and your single recycle for genuine dead ends rather than burning through them early; a waste card you skipped past may be exactly what an available pyramid card is waiting for. Not every deal is solvable, so if the board locks up, deal a fresh one and try again.