Research and Data Partnerships

vSolitaire can give many players the identical deal. For people who study how we play, that takes the luck of the shuffle out of comparisons. This page says plainly what we record today, what we do not, and how to talk to us about a study.

Contact us about a study See the statistics
Same-deal play
VS matches, challenge links and the daily challenge
Research consent today
None collected; no study has been run
Contact
Aymane S., founder, through the contact page

Why the same deal matters

In ordinary Klondike every game has a different shuffle, so part of the gap between two players is simply how hard their deals were. On vSolitaire, players in a VS match, players answering the same challenge link, and everyone playing a day’s daily challenge get the identical deal. Comparing them on one deal removes deal difficulty from the comparison.

What we record

For every game checked by the game server (since 21 September 2026):

  • The mode, Draw 1 or Draw 3, and the deal’s seed.
  • Start and end times, the outcome (won, not won, left) and the score.
  • For VS matches: which players had the same deal and who finished first.
  • For wins by players with an account: the move list with a time for each move, kept for replay videos. Undone moves are not in that list.
  • Players appear only as an internal account or guest ID.

What we do not record

  • Undo and hint use.
  • Time between moves for guests, for games that were not won, or for games left unfinished.
  • Age, health or other background information about players.
  • Any consent to take part in research.

What a study would need

We can share aggregate tables, like those on the statistics page, without identifying anyone.

Anything that uses individual players’ games would need those players’ informed opt-in first, which we do not have today. We would build the opt-in, and any extra recording the study needs (for example undo events or time between moves in every game), together with the research team and under the team’s own ethics approval. vSolitaire has no ethics board of its own.

Prior research using Solitaire

Published work that used Solitaire play to study thinking and ageing. vSolitaire is not connected with any of these studies.

  • Gielis K, Vanden Abeele M-E, Verbert K, Tournoy J, De Vos M, Vanden Abeele V (2021). Detecting mild cognitive impairment via digital biomarkers of cognitive performance found in Klondike Solitaire: a machine-learning study. Digital Biomarkers 5(1):44–52.doi.org/10.1159/000514105
  • Gielis K, Vanden Abeele M-E, De Croon R, Dierick P, Ferreira-Brito F, Van Assche L, Verbert K, Tournoy J, Vanden Abeele V (2021). Dissecting digital card games to yield digital biomarkers for the assessment of mild cognitive impairment: methodological approach and exploratory study. JMIR Serious Games 9(4):e18359.doi.org/10.2196/18359
  • Ihlenfeldt S, Chung GKWK, Lyons S, Lawson J, Redman EJKH (2025). Modeling the relationships among online Solitaire gameplay and measures of cognition (CRESST Report 877). UCLA CRESST.eric.ed.gov/?id=ED672723
  • Jimison H, Pavel M, McKanna J, Pavel J (2004). Unobtrusive monitoring of computer interactions to detect cognitive status in elders. IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine 8(3):248–252.doi.org/10.1109/TITB.2004.835539
  • Schwab N, Wu C-Y, et al. (2023). Feasibility of common, enjoyable game play for assessing daily cognitive functioning in older adults. Frontiers in Neurology 14:1258216.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1258216

Talk to us

Write to Aymane S., founder of vSolitaire, through the contact page at vsolitaire.com/en/content/contact. Please include your institution, the question you want to study and the data you would need.

More from vSolitaire

Play Solitaire with friendsRace a friend on the same deal, live or by challenge link. Solitaire statisticsWin rates and solve times from server-verified games. Weekly speed challengeFive attempts a week on fresh, winnable deals. Speed recordsThe fastest checked Klondike wins, Draw 1 and Draw 3. Press kitFacts, logo, screenshots and a short clip. Mouse and trackpad practiceClick, double-click and drag with big cards.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get raw game records?

Not today. We can share aggregate tables now. Individual records would need players’ informed opt-in, which we would set up with you under your ethics approval.

Do you record undo, hints or hesitation?

Not at the moment. Winning games by players with an account keep a time for each move; nothing else records timing between moves. Extra recording could be added for a study with players’ consent.