Play Pitchfork Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

Fan eight columns toward an empty middle pile, and treat the seven-card reserve as strictly take-only, no building allowed. Read the spread right, or those cards run out fast.

Pitchfork Solitaire is Thomas Warfield's twist on the Needle and Haystack family, and it earns its farmyard name from the wide, forked tableau. Eight of the piles fan out in two tall clusters with shorter piles stepping down toward an empty pile in the middle, giving the board the look of tines spread across the table. The single card dealt to the foundations sets a random base rank, and the four foundations then climb from that rank in suit, wrapping past the King back around to the Ace.

What sets Pitchfork apart from its relatives is the reserve. Where Needle and Haystack let you build on their reserve rows, Pitchfork's seven face-up reserve cards are strictly take-only, so you cannot park cards there to buy time. You can only lift the top reserve card onto a foundation or a tableau pile, which turns those seven cards into a resource to spend wisely rather than a safety net. The game uses a single deck with no stock and no waste, so success leans on reading the whole spread and freeing the right cards in the right order.

Needle Solitaire and Haystack Solitaire are two solitaire games closely related to this one. If you enjoy Warfield's designs, try Balcony Solitaire, another of his creations.

If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.

Enjoy playing!

How to play Pitchfork Solitaire

Layout:

4 foundation piles: One card is dealt to set the base rank. Build up in suit from that rank, wrapping from King back to Ace, until each pile holds 13 cards.

9 tableau piles: Build down in alternating colors, one card at a time. The piles fan out in a U shape, with an empty pile in the middle. Any card may be placed on an empty pile.

Reserve: Seven cards are dealt here face-up at the start. The top card is take-only and may be played to the foundation or the tableau.

Foundation:

There are four foundation piles.

The first card dealt to the foundations sets the base rank. Every foundation is built up from that rank in the same suit, wrapping from King around to Ace as needed, so if the base is the 4 of spades, the only card that fits on it is the 5 of spades. There can be no more than 13 cards in a pile.

The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.

Reserve:

There is one reserve of seven cards, all dealt face-up. No cards may be moved into the reserve, and you cannot build on it. Only the top card is available, and it may be played to any foundation or to a tableau pile.

Tableau:

Nine tableau piles of varying length, fanned out in a forked spread with an empty pile in the middle. Every card is dealt face-up.

A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only cards that fit on an 8 of spades are the 7 of hearts and 7 of diamonds.

Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card can be played onto the foundation or another tableau pile.

Any card may be placed on an empty tableau pile.

Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.