Solitaire Card Games Online Blog

Storie of solitaire 

Before we go any further, let’s get something out of the way: the “Solitaire” included with every copy of Windows since version 3.0 of the operating system isn’t actually solitaire. There’s no such game. Instead, that’s a term given to a whole family of card games which allow a single player to cut a deck and methodically work their way through by sorting them by colour and/or suit.

The card game most people associate with Windows and solitaire is but one of many variants of the game, in this case Klondike solitaire turn one. It was first included with Windows in 1990, with a deck of cards designed by, of all people, Susan Kare, who is perhaps best-known for having also designed the original (and still iconic) Apple Macintosh icon family.

The game itself was coded by a Microsoft employee by the name of Wes Cherry. Even then, during the game’s formative stages, Cherry knew the inherent potential (and dangers) for the game to become a workplace hit: he had originally coded a “boss key” into the game, which when pressed would instantly switch out the deck of cards with official-looking business, but Microsoft made him remove the feature before it was included with Windows 3.0.

Windows Solitaire, as it’s officially known, has been continually upgraded since, with new decks, new graphics and new rules added over the years (Vista and 7’s versions, for example, allow you to save an in-progress game). It’s still available today with Windows 10, albeit with some...caveats.