Leading up to the public showdown in June, Microsoft is hosting an internal contest among its employees. That competition began on Monday and Microsoft will use the same challenges from its internal tournament in the Internet-wide face-off next month, though the fine details are currently murky.
Microsoft's Solitaire extravaganza celebrates 25 years since the original Solitaire game debuted on Windows 3.0 in 1990. Yes, it's now been 25 years that office denizens have whiled away thousands, if not millions, of working hours playing those disarmingly addictive card games built-in to Windows.
The story behind the story: Despite Solitaire's long history in Windows, Microsoft took a brief respite from the games by not including them by default in Windows 8 and 8.1. Instead, gamers had to actively seek out and download Solitaire from the Windows Store. Microsoft decided to correct that shortcoming with Windows 10 by putting the classic Solitaire games back where they belong: built-in and under the Start menu.
Further reading: Windows 10's best tip, tricks, and tweaks
Return of the Klondike
With Windows 10, Solitaire will still appear as the modern UI versions introduced alongside Windows 8, but at least they've been returned to their rightful place--much like the Start menu itself. And in Windows 10 you won't need to play the games in full screen mode, since the new operating system displays modern apps in desktop windows on traditional PCs.
If you plan on showing your solitaire chops in June make sure you're ready by downloading the Microsoft Solitaire Collection from the Windows Store. A Windows Phone version is also available.