Solitaire TriPeaks

TriPeaks (also written Tri Peaks or Triple Peaks) is a solitaire card game that combines elements of Golf Solitaire with a distinctive three-peaked pyramid layout. The player clears cards from a tableau of three overlapping peaks onto a waste pile by playing cards one rank higher or lower than the current waste card. The game is known for its engaging chain-reaction gameplay, where a skilled player can clear long sequences of cards in a single streak.

Rules

1. Tableau: 28 cards are dealt in three overlapping peaks. The bottom row has 10 face-up cards. Above them, three pyramid formations share some base cards: each peak has 3 face-down cards in the middle rows and 1 face-down card at the top, for a total of 18 face-down and 10 face-up cards.
2. Stock: The remaining 24 cards form the stock.
3. Waste: The top stock card is turned face-up to start the waste pile.
4. Exposed Cards: A card is exposed when no cards overlap it. Only exposed face-up cards can be played.
5. Moving Cards: Play any exposed card that is one rank higher or lower than the top waste card, regardless of suit. King wraps to Ace and vice versa.
6. Revealing Cards: When both cards covering a face-down card are removed, it flips face-up and becomes available.
7. Drawing: When no plays are possible, draw from the stock to the waste.
8. Winning: Clear all 28 cards from the tableau.

Strategies

• Build Long Chains: The scoring system in most versions rewards consecutive plays without drawing. Focus on finding the longest possible sequence of plays.
• Clear Peaks Strategically: Sometimes it's better to work on the peak that unlocks the most hidden cards rather than the one that's easiest to clear.
• Watch for Bottlenecks: Identify which hidden cards are blocking progress and plan removal sequences to expose them.
• Save Stock Draws: Each stock card is an opportunity to restart a chain. Don't draw unnecessarily when further analysis might reveal a playable card.
• Prioritize Cards That Unlock Others: When multiple cards can be played, choose the one that reveals a face-down card or enables the longest continuation.
• Clear One Peak at a Time: Fully clearing a peak removes its cards from play, simplifying the board and freeing space.

TriPeaks was invented by Robert Hogue in 1989. Hogue was a game designer who specifically created the layout to produce engaging gameplay with satisfying chain reactions. He submitted the game to various publications and it quickly gained popularity among patience enthusiasts.

The game became widely known through its inclusion in early Windows solitaire collections, particularly the Microsoft Entertainment Pack and third-party solitaire suites. Its visually distinctive layout — three pyramids arranged like mountain peaks — made it immediately recognizable and appealing.

TriPeaks experienced a major resurgence on mobile platforms. "TriPeaks Solitaire" by GSN Games became one of the most downloaded solitaire apps, and the TriPeaks format was adopted by numerous casual game developers. The gameplay mechanic — simple chain-building with strategic card selection — proved perfectly suited to touch-screen mobile play.

Microsoft included TriPeaks in its Solitaire Collection starting with Windows 8, cementing its place among the canonical solitaire games alongside Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, and Pyramid. The win rate for TriPeaks is relatively high — around 60-90% depending on the specific rules and whether wrapping is allowed — making it one of the more accessible solitaire variants.