Sometimes the simplest things bring the most joy. A deck of cards, a green felt table and half an hour where your mind can rest. With Kabaler (called Solitaire Collection in English) I have made a collection of classic solitaire games for Linux and Windows. It is free software, with no ads and no tracking, and it works without an internet connection.
From one game of Aces Up to twenty solitaires
It started small. I wanted a simple version of Aces Up on my Linux computer. In Norway we call it Idioten (“the idiot”), and the goal is to discard cards until only the four aces remain. I made the first draft with help from an AI assistant, but a draft is not a finished program. Along the way my ambitions grew. Once I had a card table, a deck of cards and an engine for moving cards around, why stop at one game?
The result is version 2.0. It has 17 game families and 20 variants, all with standard rules. It is available in seven languages, has a rules page for every game and keeps statistics for each one. It runs as a regular desktop program on both Linux and Windows.
A home screen that invites you to play
When you open the app, you see a home screen with every game. Each tile shows a small card icon, the name of the game and a sentence explaining what it is about. Click a tile and the cards are dealt straight away. From the table you get back to the home screen with one click, and the menu bar at the top gives quick access to the rules, the settings and information about the app.
The collection
I have tried to include the games people actually play, plus a few extra for those who want to try something new. Here is the full list, roughly grouped by type:
The classics. Klondike, “the classic solitaire with seven columns”, where you choose between turning one or three cards at a time. Aces Up, where you discard cards until only the four aces are left. Spider with one, two or four suits, depending on how hard you want it to be.
The thinking games. FreeCell, where every card is visible from the start and almost every deal can be solved. Its sibling Eight Off gives you even more free cells to work with. Baker’s Dozen, Beleaguered Castle and Calculation are more about planning than luck.
The challenging ones. In Yukon and Russian Solitaire you can move whole groups of cards, even when they are not in sequence. Scorpion is similar to Spider but has quirks of its own. Forty Thieves is played with two decks and is known for being hard to win. Canfield has a long history in American casinos.
The quick ones. In Golf and TriPeaks you play cards that are one higher or lower than the top card of the waste pile. In Pyramid you remove pairs that add up to 13. Clock is pure luck and goes well with a cup of coffee.
How to play
I wanted the app to feel natural to use. You can drag cards with the mouse to where you want them, or simply click a card and the app moves it to the best place it can go. You deal new cards by clicking the stock. When a card can safely go to the foundations, it is moved there automatically. If you prefer to do everything yourself, you can turn this off.
If you get stuck, press the Hint button or the H key, and the app shows you a possible move. If you make a mistake, you can undo as many moves as you like. For keyboard fans there are a few shortcuts:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Z or Backspace | Undo last move |
| F2 or Ctrl + N | New game |
| H | Show a hint |
| Esc | Cancel |
While you play, you can see the number of moves and how much time has passed. The app keeps statistics for each game: how many games you have played, how many you have won and your best time. And when the last card is in place, a small celebration is waiting.
The rules are always one click away
Not everyone knows the rules of Beleaguered Castle or Calculation by heart. That is why the app has a rules page that explains every game: what the goal is, how the cards are dealt and which moves are allowed. If you open the rules while playing, they open at the game you are playing.
Seven languages
Solitaire is played all over the world, and the app should reflect that. You can choose between Norwegian, English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Everything is translated, including the game names, the rules and the messages. You change the language in the settings, and it switches instantly, with no restart needed.
Make the table your own
In the settings you can choose the table colour (green, blue, red or gray) and the colour of the card backs (blue, red, green or purple). You can also turn automatic moves to the foundations and animations on or off, and reset the statistics if you want a fresh start. Your settings are saved, so the app remembers your choices next time.
Download
Kabaler 2.0.0 is available for Linux and Windows (64-bit). Pick the file that suits you:
| File | System | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kabaler-2.0.0-x86_64.AppImage | Linux | A single file that runs on most distributions. Make it executable (chmod +x) and double-click. About 101 MB. |
| Kabaler-2.0.0-Setup.exe | Windows | Regular installer with shortcuts in the Start menu and on the desktop. About 73 MB. |
| Kabaler-2.0.0-x64.msi | Windows | MSI package, useful for deployment in companies and schools. About 111 MB. |
| Kabaler-2.0.0-Portable.exe | Windows | Portable version that needs no installation. Can run from a USB stick. About 73 MB. |
| Kabaler-2.0.0-kildekode.zip | All | The complete source code, for anyone who wants to see how the app is made or build it themselves. |
Note for Windows users: The program is not code-signed with a commercial certificate. The first time you start it, Windows SmartScreen may therefore show the warning “Windows protected your PC”. Click More info and then Run anyway. This applies to most small free programs and does not mean anything is wrong with the file.
Free software
Kabaler is released under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later (GPL-3.0-or-later). This means you are free to use, study, share and modify the program, as long as you pass the same freedoms on. There are no ads, no in-app purchases and no data collection. The app does not need the internet, and everything you do stays on your own computer.
Finally
Kabaler started as a small hobby project to get one simple solitaire game on my own computer. It has become a program I am proud of, and I hope others will enjoy it too. Download it, find your favourite game and take a break. If you have feedback, ideas for new games or have found a bug, I would love to hear from you.
Have fun, and good luck getting all the cards out!