What is a Good Number of Moves in Solitaire?
When it comes to the popular card game Solitaire, one of the best indicators of skill level is the number of moves a player takes to win a game. But what benchmarks determine a good, average or poor number of moves? Let‘s analyze some data across major Solitaire variants:
Benchmarks for Klondike Solitaire
Klondike is the most widely played Solitaire game. Across billions of Klondike hands dealt, these are the move benchmarks:
| Move Range | Skill Level | Win Rate Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 50 moves | Beginner | Under 50% |
| 50 – 70 moves | Intermediate | 50-75% |
| 70 – 90 moves | Expert | 75-90%+ |
| 90+ moves | Master | 90%+ |
- Beginners are still grasping basics like when to place Aces vs face cards, or which columns to focus on first. Lots of non-optimal moves means games drag on or end in losses.
- Intermediates have better understanding of strategy, but don‘t calculate complex move planning ahead of time. Their decent win rate stems from avoiding truly awful moves rather than excellent play.
- Experts display controlled, highly strategic play order. Their games showcase excellent decision-making on nearly every move, though the occasional slip-up does happen.
- Masters play on another level entirely – their cold, calculating efficiency means mistakes are rare over hundreds of games. Only the most diabolical deals thwart their 90%+ win rates.
So in Klondike Solitaire, 70-90 moves reflects strong, strategic play for most. While 50-70 moves means there‘s strategic improvement needed compared to the best.
Benchmarks for Freecell Solitaire
Freecell deals are perfectly winnable with ideal play. Here are the Freecell benchmarks:
| Move Range | Skill Level | Win Rate Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Over 80 moves | Beginner | Under 50% |
| 50 – 80 moves | Intermediate | 50-75% |
| 30 – 50 moves | Expert | 75-90%+ |
| Under 30 moves | Master | 90%+ |
- Beginners struggle mightily with Freecell‘s strategic complexity. They fail to set up runs early, causing games to drag on unsuccessfully.
- Intermediates can manage basic run formations but trip up transitioning between suits mid-to-late game. Their win rate is salvaged by avoiding terrible moves.
- Experts display impressive lookahead, efficiently sequencing runs together for quick wins. The occasional minor slip-up is their only downfall.
- Masters solve Freecell deals of staggering complexity in under 30 moves thanks to ingeniously efficient planning. Their win rate nears perfection.
So in Freecell, 30-50 moves demonstrates very strong play. While 50-80 moves means strategic adjustments could improve win rate.
Benchmarks for Spider Solitaire
As a supremely complex Solitaire variant, Spider has wider move ranges:
| Move Range | Skill Level | Win Rate Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Over 150 moves | Beginner | Under 30% |
| 100 – 150 moves | Intermediate | 30-50% |
| 50 – 100 moves | Expert | 50-75% |
| Under 50 moves | Master | 75%+ |
- Beginners frequently get overwhelmed managing the 8 suits and struggle to identify any runs amid the chaos.
- Intermediates can slowly construct runs, but relentlessly build in a sub-optimal linear fashion. Their win rate suffers from lack of adaptive play.
- Experts are extremely calculating in their play order – rapidly transitioning between suits and constructing runs with precise planning several moves ahead of time. Their main downfall is the occasional failed adjustment to changing board states.
- Masters seamlessly transition between suits with incredible early efficiency, manipulating the tableaus with shocking speed right from the start. Only the most nightmarishly complex Spider hands see them lose.
So in Spider, 50-100 moves indicates very solid play, while under 50 moves takes true mastery against the intense complexity.
Key Takeaways Across All Variants
- Beginner play lacks strategy and revolves around reacting move-to-move without lookahead planning
- Intermediate play has decent foundations but fails to maximize strategic move efficiency
- Expert play showcases excellent lookahead, predictions, and adaptations for highly strategic move planning
- Master play requires absolute optimal efficiency and adjustments for even the most wickedly complex deals
The number of moves correlates heavily to strategic aptitude and move optimization. That’s why tracking Solitaire moves provides meaningful benchmarks across skill levels.
