How to Play Pyramid Dozen Solitaire

A pyramid pairing puzzle where pairs must total 12. A separate tableau section lets you shuffle cards around to help uncover pyramid cards.

Setup

1. A tableau has 6 piles with 4 cards each, all face-up
2. The pyramid has 7 rows overlapping (28 cards total)

How to play

• Only uncovered pyramid cards (not covered by cards in the row below) are playable
• Remove pyramid pairs by dragging one uncovered card onto its partner
• Valid pairs total 12: Ace (1) with Jack (11), 2 with 10, 3 with 9, 4 with 8, 5 with 7, 6 with 6 (matching ranks)
• On the tableau, build downward by one rank in the same suit; only the top card of a pile can move
• Tableau cards can also be moved onto other tableau piles to help free up space and expose pyramid cards
• Empty tableau piles cannot be refilled
• Queens and Kings have no rank partner under the 12-total rule, so they cannot be paired and removed

How to win

Objective: Clear every card from the pyramid by removing pairs that total 12 points (Ace = 1).

You win when every card is removed from the pyramid. You're stuck when no more pairs can be matched.

Tips

• Use the tableau strategically to maneuver blocked cards
• Pyramid and tableau work together—exposing pyramid cards may depend on tableau moves
• Plan tableau moves ahead so you don't box yourself in, since empty piles there can't be refilled

Play Pyramid Dozen free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Pyramid Dozen alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Pyramid family:

• Eleven Triangle — A pyramid pairing game where you clear cards by matching pairs that add up to 11, plus matching pairs of same-rank face cards.
• Pyramid — A classic pairing game where you remove cards from a pyramid by matching pairs that total 13, or removing Kings alone.
• Triangle — An inverted pyramid pairing game where you remove pairs of cards that total 13 or single Kings from a seven-row pyramid.