14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s number one time wasting machine, Solitaire, turned 25 on May 18, so the company wanted to celebrate this important moment in style with a special tournament that pits employees against players across the world.
Solitaire was officially launched on May 18, 1990, and was one of the most popular Windows games ever, before being removed by the company in Windows 8. At that time, Redmond rolled out a Windows Store version of the game that could be played in the Modern UI, and it thus removed Solitaire completely from the OS and stopped offering it pre-installed on all versions.
Solitaire was previously available with just a single game mode but was later updated with Spider, Pyramid, Klondike, and FreeCell.
The tournament will take place on June 5
Microsoft has revealed today that it will set up two different competitions, the first to determine the best players within the software giant and then to pit employees against players.
“First, an internal competition among Microsoft employees kicks off today to determine who leads the leaderboards here. Then, in early June, the same challenges used in the tournament will be released in the game for the world to play,” the company explains.
Microsoft hasn’t said anything about the prize the winner of the competition could receive, but expect Lumia phones and Surface tablets to be offered to those who make it to the final.
No matter the Windows version, anyone can play Solitaire today, but in case you’re running Windows 8, click here to go to the store and download the Solitaire Collection. In Windows 10, this game will be pre-installed, so you’ll be able to play without the need to download it from the store.
More information on the Solitaire competition will be provided as we get closer to the June 5 tournament, so start practicing to make sure you have what it takes to defeat the Softies.