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Rules for Solitaire Games
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There are several different distinct kinds of
solitaires, which I've grouped into different families. You'll find
that the games within a family generally have the same goals, and
play in similar ways.
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Klondike Family - generally
trying to build foundations up by suit, building in a tableau
with some face down cards, making luck a factor in winning the
game. Often, there is a stock that can be run through to help
with building. Klondike and Canfield
are the most commonly known games of this family.
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Free Cell Family - Building
foundations up again, but this time there is no stock, all the
cards are dealt into the tableau and are face up. The fact that
the location of every card is known before play even begins
gives strategy a large part in the winning of the game. Often
Cells are offered as temporary holding places for cards, as in
the flagship game, Free Cell. Most of
the Free Cell variants can be won with proper planning.
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Fan Family - The Fan family
contains games that have a large number of tableau piles (fans),
with just a few face up cards each. Like the Free Cell family,
the fact that you can tell where every card is makes strategy
more important than luck. In the Fan series, cards can generally
only be moved one at a time, so it is easy to trap yourself by
blocking lower cards with higher ones. Several variations allow
you to redeal the Tableau, giving you a second or third chance
to complete the foundations. The most commonly known game of the
Fan family is La Bella Lucie.
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Spider Family - Spider is one
of the classic solitaire games, and as a result, many different
variations have been invented. This family of games has no
foundations, instead the goal is to clear cards from the tableau
by forming sequences down in suit, from King to Ace. As these
sequences are formed, they are automatically removed from play
(and added to your score). The classic examples of this family
are Spider and Will O the
Wisp.
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Tableau Clearing Family -
These games are won by clearing out all cards in the Tableau,
there are no foundations. Each have their own mechanisms, all
described below. Several of these games are fairly well known,
including Golf, Idiot's
Delight, and Monte Carlo.
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Miscellaneous - The rest. All
of these games are unique, and I couldn't figure out where else
to put them, heh.
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One of the original members of the Fan family. Very similiar to the more common
Trefoil, but no initial cards are dealt to the Foundations, making it
tougher to win. The deck is dealt out into 18 fans of cards, forming
the tableau. Tableau piles can be
built down in suit, but cards may only be moved one at a time.
Spaces formed in the tableau may not be filled with anything at all.
Two redeals are allowed, when all plays are exhausted, click the
redeal button, and the fans will be gathered, shuffled, and redealt.
(the number of redeals left is indicated on the button itself). At any
point in the game, you can execute a single "Draw", pulling any card to the top of
its pile, making it available for play.
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Cards are dealt in a single row, from Left to Right (spiralling down). The goal is
to move cards onto each other, removing the lower card, until a single card remains.
A card may be moved onto a card on its direct left, or third on left, if the card
matches the suit, or value, of the destination card. Click on the stock to deal more cards
to the end of the row.
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Acquaintance
is a variation of Auld Lang Syne, but allows 2
redeals, so is a lot easier to win. The 4 foundation piles need to
be built up by value (no regard to suit) from ace to king. The top
card of each of the 4 tableau piles may be used to play to
foundations, but no intra-tableau movement is allowed. Spaces filled
within the Tableau may not be filled with anything. Clicking on the
stock will deal a card to each tableau pile. When the stock is
exhausted, click the 'redeal' button to gather all the cards in the
tableau, shuffle, and start dealing cards to tableau piles again.
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Agnes Bernauer is another Klondike
variant, utilizing reserve piles instead of a discard pile. To win,
build the 4 foundation piles up, in suit, from the first value
dealt, wrapping as necessary, until there are 13 cards in each pile
(very similar to Canfield). The standard 7
pile Klondike tableau is used, with an additional 7 piles held as
reserve. The Tableau piles are built down by alternating color,
wrapping from King to Ace where appropriate, and valid sequences may
be moved between piles. Spaces in the tableau may be filled with
cards of one less value than the card required to start a foundation
pile. (i.e. if foundations start with an 8, only 7's may fill spaces
in the tableau). The top pile of each reserve is available for play
to the Tableau or foundations. Cards may not be added to reserve
piles, except by clicking on the stock, which deals one new card to
each.
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Yet, another variant on Klondike.
The four foundation piles must be built up, in suit, starting from
the value of the card dealt to the first foundation, wrapping as
necessary from King to Ace, until each pile has 13 cards. The
standard 1-7 Klondike layout is used. Tableau piles may be built
down in color, and sequences may be moved if they are built down in
the same color. Clicking on the stock will deal one card to each of
the tableau piles.
Note: Agnes Sorel and Agnes Bernauer used to both be called
"Agnes", David Parlett is credited with making the
distinction.
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A very close relative of Yukon
with much more interesting building rules. The four foundation piles
are to be built up, from Ace to King, in suit. The tableau piles may
be built, up or down by suit. That is, the 8 of clubs may
be placed upon the 7 of clubs, or the 9 of clubs. Just like Yukon,
blocks of cards in the Tableau may be moved without any regard to
sequence, as long as the head card may be built on the target pile.
(a group of any cards headed by the 7 of diamonds, may be placed on
the exposed 6 (or 8) of diamonds).
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Basically, a two deck version of Canfield,
with a larger layout. The 8 foundation piles must be built up in
suit, starting at the value of the card dealt to the first
foundation, wrapping as necessary until each pile contains 13 cards.
There are 8 tableau piles that may be built down by suit (wrapping
as necessary), and legal sequences may be moved all at once between
piles. The reserve pile contains 13 cards, the top of which is
available for play to the foundations, or tableau. Spaces formed in
the Tableau are filled automatically from the reserve pile, until it
is exhausted. After which, any card may be used. The stock deals
cards to the discard pile, 3 at a time, and may be re-used as many
times as you like. (Note: this is very similar to Double
Canfield but with stricter tableau building rules.
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Auld Lang Syne is one of the
simplest solitaires
of them all. It is also one of the hardest to win, and is done so
by almost all luck. To win all 4 of the foundations are to be
built by value from Ace to King (suits don't matter). 4 piles form
the tableau, the top card of each pile is available for play to a
foundation, but cards may not be moved between tableau piles at
all. The four aces are removed at the start of the game and are
used to start the 4 foundations. Clicking on the stock deals a
card to each of the 4 tableau piles, hopefully creating new plays
to the foundations. Play continues like this until the stock is
exhausted. For an easier game to win, try Acquaintance
which is similar, but allows for two redeals.
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In this game, all the cards in this game are face
up at the start, making it largely a matter of skill to get all the
cards where they need to be. 13 piles (a baker's dozen, what a
coincidence!) form the tableau and start with 4 cards (facing up)
each. Before play, Kings are automatically moved to the bottom of
their piles. The goal is to move all cards to the 4 foundations
which are built up by suit, from Ace to King. Cards may be moved one
at a time between tableau piles, building down by value, with
no regard to suit. Spaces in the Tableau may not be filled with
anything.
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Very similar to Free Cell,
except that piles in the tableau are be built down by suit, and not
by alternating color, making the game a lot tougher to win. The 4
Foundations are built up by suit, from Ace to King. Four reserve
piles, "Cells", are available to hold any single card
each. 8 tableau piles are to be built down by suit, and cards may be
moved as blocks within the tableau, only if there are enough free
cells to move them individually. (a slightly easier version of this
game is Seahaven Towers which offers more
tableau piles to work with.
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Grouped with the fan family, even though there
are less fans available than any of its siblings. The goal is to
build the four foundation piles up from Ace to King, in suit.
Eight piles form the tableau, each starting with 6 cards. Tableau
piles may be built down by value, with no regard to suit, but
cards may only be moved one at a time. Spaces that form in the
Tableau may be filled with any card.
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A member of the Fan family of
games, with a twist on building foundations that makes the game
interesting. The goal is to get all 52 cards into the 8 foundation
piles. 4 of the foundations build up by suit, from Ace. The other 4
build down from King. It does not matter where each pile ends, as
long as all the cards end up in the foundations. The 12 tableau
piles may be built up, or down in sequence, by suit. Spaces are not
filled at all. At the start of the game, the aces are placed on
their foundations, and the remaining 48 cards are dealt evenly into
the Tableau. This is a very interesting strategy game, as the
foundations will give you more interesting building possibilities.
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A pair matching game, that combines a simple
layout with some more convoluted matching rules. The cards in the
nine tableau piles may be removed as pairs with the following
rules. Cards lower than 10 in value can be matched up with each
other if their sum is equal to 10. i.e., an ace+9 pair out,
2/8, 3/7, 4/6, 5/5. Tens cannot be matched, and remain stuck in
the tableau. Cards higher than 10 are just paired off with cards
of the same rank, J/J, Q/Q and K/K. Spaces formed by pair matching
in the Tableau are filled automatically from the stock. (Simple
Pairs shares the same layout as Block Ten, but with a much
simple rule for removing cards).
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To win this two deck game, build the 8 foundation
piles from Ace to King, in suit. Twelve piles form the tableau,
which can be built down in suit, moving one card at a time. Each
pile starts with a single card. Spaces may be filled with a card
from anywhere. Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock to the
discard by clicking. The top card of the discard pile is available
for play to anywhere.
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Calculation is a very tough game to win. The object
is to move all cards to the foundations, which build up by value in
various increments (no regard to suit). All foundations wrap around
as necessary until they end with a king (each pile will end up with
13 cards). The first foundation goes up by ones, as in A2345678910JQK,
the second builds by 2s (wrapping when necessary), as 246810QA3579JK,
the third by threes, as 369Q258JA4710K, the fourth
by fours, as 48Q37J2610A59K. At the start of the
game, the first card of each foundation is placed there for you.
Cards are taken from the stock one by one, and placed on one of four
tableau piles, or directly to a foundation. Once a card is placed
into the Tableau, it may only be moved to a foundation, no
intra-tableau movement is allowed. Only the top card of each tableau
pile is available at given time. (so be careful what you cover with
cards).
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Very similar to Klondike in the
behavior of the
tableau piles, foundation, stock and discard piles. The tableau is
dealt as four piles, one card to each. A reserve pile is added to
the game (sometimes known as the "Demon Reserve") which
contains 13 cards, of which the top is available for play. Spaces
formed in the tableau are automatically filled from the reserve
until it is exhausted, at which time they can be filled from the
deck (with no value limitations). One notable exception to building
is that both foundations and tableau piles can be wrapped (aces
placed on kings on the foundation, and vice versa on the tableau). A
card is dealt to the first foundation, dictating the starting card
for all of the other foundations. (Aces being played on kings to
form a cycle).
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Similar to popular game 'Free Cell', but without
the benefit of the 'cells'. All the cards are dealt face up into 8
tableau piles. The object is to build up all four foundations from
Ace to King by suit. Tableau piles are built down by value, with no
regard for suit, or color. Cards and sequences may be moved in
between piles, as long as the topmost card is legal to be played
there. Spaces formed in the tableau may be filled with any card or
sequence.
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One of the easiest solitaires to play and win. The
four foundation piles must be built up, by suit, from ace to king.
The 20 reserve piles are used to play to the foundations, but there
is no building to be done on them. Spaces in the reserve are filled
automatically from the discard pile, or from the stock. Deal a card
from the stock to the discard, one at a time, by clicking on it. No
redeals. (With auto play on, this game just a matter of clicking on
the stock every now and then).
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The rules in Chessboard are exactly the same as Fortress,
but it is slightly easier as the foundations can be started with any
card (your choice), not necessarily an ace. To win, build the four
foundation piles up from the first value played, in suit, until
there are 13 cards in each pile. Note, the first card you play to a
foundation determines the starting value for all foundations. There
are ten piles in the Tableau, and they can be built up or
down, by suit. Cards may only be moved one at a time. Spaces that
form in the Tableau may be filled with any card.
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A two deck, game, similar to Forty Thieves. To
win, get all the cards to one of the 8 foundation piles (center),
which build up in suit, from ace to king. The 8 tableau piles can be
built down, regardless of suit, but only one card may be moved at a
time. Spaces are filled automatically from the discard pile. Deal
one card from the stock to the discard by clicking on it. No
redeals.
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One of my favorite games. Requires a little
thought and foresight to play successfully. The playing field is a
grid of 3 cards by 3. The corners are the foundations, and must be
played up by suit (wrapping King to Ace as necessary). A card is
dealt to the first foundation, and all other foundations must be
started with a card of the same value as this one. The other five
piles form the tableau, and are built down by value with no regard
to suit or color. Only one card at a time may be moved from any
pile. Both foundations and tableau wrap when necessary (Aces played
on Kings on foundations, and vice versa on tableau). Cards are dealt
one by one from the stock to the discard, the top card of both is
available for play onto a foundation or tableau pile.
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Extremely similar to Corners,
but slightly more difficult to win. The playing field is a grid of
3x3 cards. The corners are the foundations, and must be built up in
suit (wrapping when necessary) from the value of the card dealt to
the first foundation. (i.e. if a four is dealt to the first
foundation, all foundations must start with a four, and build up,
wrapping from king to ace, up to three). The other five piles from
the tableau, which may be built down by value, but only one card at
a time. Spaces formed in the tableau, are filled automatically from
the stock (this is the main difference from Corners). Cards are
dealt from the stock to the discard one at a time by clicking.
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Basically, a version of Canfield,
but played with two decks, and a slightly larger layout. Just like Double
Klondike, this variation is easier than the core game. The 8
foundation piles must be built up in suit, starting at the value of
the card dealt to the first foundation. The 5 tableau piles may be
built down by alternating color, and legal sequences may be moved
all at once between piles. The ever-present reserve pile still
contains 13 cards, the top of which is available for play to the
foundations, or tableau. Spaces formed in the Tableau are filled
automatically from the reserve pile, until it is exhausted. After
which, any card may be used. The stock deals cards to the discard
pile, 3 at a time, and may be re-used as many times as you like.
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Take a good game, double the number of cards in it,
and it will be twice as good! Double Klondike is just like Klondike,
but is played with two decks of cards. There are nine tableau piles,
in which cards may be built down by alternate color, and cards in
sequence may be moved between tableau piles. Eight foundations must
be built up from Ace to King, in suit. The stock deals three cards
at a time to the discard pile, by clicking on it. When the stock is
empty, the discard is picked up and re-used as the stock (an
unlimited amount of times, click on the stock to do this).
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Cards are dealt in a single row, from Left to Right (spiralling down). The goal is
to move cards onto each other, removing the lower card, until a single card remains.
A card may be moved onto the card three cards to its right, if the card
matches the suit, or value, of the destination card. Click on the stock to deal more cards
to the end of the row.
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Doublets (Double
Trouble)
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Similar to Monte
Carlo, the game is won if the Tableau is completely cleared.
Cards are removed from the game by pairing them up with another of
the same rank. 12 piles of four face down cards form the Tableau,
the top card of each is turned face up, and is available for play at
any time. Left over cards from the deal form the stock, which is
used automatically to fill gaps in the Tableau as they form. To
remove a pair, drag one member onto its mate, and both cards will be
moved to the waste pile.
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The four foundation piles, must be built up in
suit, from Ace to King, in order to win this Klondike
variant. 7 piles form the tableau, each initially starting with
three cards, the top one always face up and available for play.
Piles in the Tableau may be built down in sequence by alternating
color (black 10 on a red Jack, for example). Spaces in the tableau
may be filled with any card or legal sequence of cards. Instead of
the usual discard pile, clicking on the stock deals one card to each
tableau pile, giving this game a strong luck factor, as a deal can
make the game or ruin it.
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Probably the easiest Free Cell variant of them all,
a good place to start if you are new to this family. Cards in the 8
tableau piles must be built down in suit, but you have 8 cells to
help you out. Each "cell" can hold any card, but only one
at a time. The 4 foundation piles must be built up from Ace to King,
as usual. (this is basically a version of Baker's Game, with an
additional 4 cells). Spaces in the tableau may be filled with a king
or king headed sequence.
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The object of Fan, is to build the four foundation
piles up in suit, from Ace to King. The tableau consists of 18 fans,
each initially containing 3 each (except for the last, with just 1
card). Cards may be moved between fans one at a time, building down
in suit. Spaces formed in the tableau may be filled with only a
King. Unlike some of the fan variants, no redeals are allowed in
this game.
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Another in a long line of the addictive games, where cards are removed from the
Tableau by matching with another card. To win, go through the stock, clearing the
whole Tableau by matching cards that when added together, total 13. Jacks pair with 2's, and Queens match Aces,
Kings are removed by themselves. Clicking on the
stock deals five additional cards onto the Tableau, with the final 2 cards going into
their own piles
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A close sibling of Beleagured
Castle, but with a more interesting tableau building scheme. To
win, build the four foundation piles up from Ace to King. There are
ten piles in the Tableau, and they can be built up or
down, by suit. Cards may only be moved one at a time. Spaces that
form in the Tableau may be filled with any card.
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Forty Thieves (Big
Forty, Napolean at St. Helena, Le Cadran)
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Features:
[Auto Play]
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Played with 2 decks of cards, Forty Thieves is
quite difficult to win. To win, all eight foundation piles all need
to be built up in suit from Ace to King. 10 piles, each starting
with 4 face up cards forms the tableau, which may be built down in
suit. Cards may be moved one at a time, only. Spaces formed in the
Tableau may be filled with any card. Cards from the stock are dealt
to the discard pile, one at a time, with no redeals.
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Another card matching game. In this, pairs of
cards may be removed if their sum is equal to 14. (Kings count as
13, Queens as 12, Jacks as 11). For example, a pair of 8 and 6
would be eligible for removal. All the cards are dealt face up
into the 12 tableau piles. Since all cards can be seen, it is
largely a matter of skill to win. To remove a pair, drag one card
onto its mate, both cards will be moved to the waste pile.
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Chances are good that you already know how to play
this, it is one of the most popular computer solitaire games. It
became famous after being distributed with Windows 95, a long time
ago. Four foundations are to be built up from Ace to King by suit.
Eight tableau piles, into which all the cards are dealt, face up.
(Seven cards each in the first four piles, six in the other four).
Cards in the tableau can be built down by alternating color. In
addition, four 'cells', (in the upper left, red outlines) are
available, each of which can hold any single card. Cards may be
moved onto and off cells with the restriction that only one card is
allowed in a cell at a time. Cards may be moved as blocks within the
tableau, but only if there are enough free cells available to move
then one at a time. (moving as a block is just a shortcut for moving
them in and out of cells). For example, if all four cells are
available, you can still only move a block of five cards between
piles. If only one cell is available, only sets of two may be moved
at a time. Spaces in the Tableau may be filled with any card, or
block of cards.
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An unusually tough game that is won by arranging the cards from left to right, counting up from 2
to King, by suit. There are 4 rows, of 13 cards each, resulting in 4 "gaps". A card
may be moved into a gap, if it is of the same suit, and 1 higher, than the card
directly to the left of the gap. Gaps at the far left of the layout, may be filled
with any 2. Gaps to the right of a King, are dead, and can not be played to. Once
all gaps are dead, you can use the Redeal button to gather up the cards not in
sequence, shuffle and redeal them. The redeal is performed such that the new
gaps start immediately to the right of all cards currently in sequence (ensuring
you can move at least 4 cards into their correct locations)
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The goal of this game is to clear the tableau
completely. The tableau consists of seven face up piles with five
cards on each. The topmost card is always available for play.
Cards are played from the tableau to the discard pile by value,
suit is irrelevant in this game. A card can be played to the
discard pile if it is one value higher, or one lower than the card
at the top of the discard pile. That is, if a 6 is showing at the
top of the discard pile, you may play either a 5 or a 7 onto it
from the Tableau. There are two exceptions, only a 2 can be played
on an Ace, and nothing can be played on a king at all. When all
plays are exhausted, click on the stock, and a card from it will
be played onto the discard pile. Play then continues until the
stock is exhausted. (no redeals of the stock are allowed).
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The goal of Grandfather's Clock, is to move all the cards to the foundations,
arranged in a circle, so that the top value of each Foundation matches its position on the Clock.
Foundations are built up by suit, from the initially dealt value. The eight piles that comprise
the Tableau can be built down by value (wrapping is ok), but only 1 card may be moved at a time.
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Idiot's Delight (Aces
Up, Firing Squad, Aces High, Four Aces, Drivel)
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If you are looking for a fairly quick game of
solitaire, this is a good bet. The goal of Idiot's Delight is to
clear the tableau as much as possible, a win will see the piles
empty except for the four aces. At the start of play, four cards
are dealt from the stock, one onto each pile. Tableau cards can be
removed as follows: If the top card of any tableau pile has the
same suit as the top card of any other tableau pile the card with
the lower value can me moved to the discard pile. (Drag the
desired card to the discard pile and drop it) Aces are high, and
can't be moved to the discard pile by any means. If spaces open up
in the tableau, the top card of any other pile may be placed
there. When all plays are finished, click on the stock, and
another four cards are dealt, one onto each pile. Play continues
in this fashion, until the stock is exhausted, and no more moves
are possible.
As it is impossible to move Aces to the waste
pile, the winning score is 48, instead of the usual 52.
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The goal in this Klondike-like
game, is to build the foundations up from Ace to King, in suit. Nine
tableau piles are used, started in a Klondike-style fashion (1 card
in the first, 2 in the second, etc...), which may be built down by
alternate color. Only one card at a time may be moved between
tableau piles. As spaces in the tableau form, they may be filled
with any card. At the bottom of the screen, 7 cards are held in
reserve, available for play at any time, onto foundations or into
the tableau. No building may occur on these piles, and spaces must
remain empty.
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The metric of Solitaire. It's the one most widely
known and almost all solitaire games include this variation. The
goal is to move all the cards to the four foundations, one for each
suit. Foundations are started with Aces, and build up to King by
suit. Seven piles form the tableau, one card is dealt to the first
pile, each successive pile receiving one more than the previous.
Cards can be moved from these piles individually or by sequence, and
are built down in value, by alternating color (either red 6 can be
placed on a black 7). To move a sequence, grab the top card of the
sequence and move it to the desired pile. (sequences can be broken
up). Spaces in the tableau can only be filled with Kings (or King
topped sequences, of course).
The stock is dealt to the discard three cards at a
time (click on the stock to deal three cards). The top card of the
discard can be played to the Tableau or a foundation. Once the stock
is exhausted, the discard is taken up as the stock and redealt. (no
shuffling is allowed).
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In strict Klondike rules, the stock is dealt one
card at a time, but no redeals are allowed. This version of the game
implements those rules, and is extremely tough to win.
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A variant of Fan. The object is
to build the four foundations, up in suit, from Ace to King. The
deck is dealt out into 18 fans of cards, forming the tableau. All
fans contain three, except the last with one only. Tableau piles can
be built down in suit, but cards may only be moved one at a time.
Spaces formed in the tableau may not be filled with anything at all.
Two redeals are allowed, when all plays are exhausted, click the
redeal button, and the fans will be gathered, shuffled, and redealt.
(the number redeals left is indicated on the button itself). Trefoil
is very similar to La Bella Lucie, but the foundations are all
started with Aces at the outset, making it a bit easier to win.
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Played with 2 decks of cards, Maria Luisa is fairly
tough to win. To win, all eight foundation piles all need to be
built up in suit from Ace to King. 9 piles, each starting with 4
face up cards forms the tableau, which may be built down by
alternate color. Cards may be moved one at a time, only. Spaces
formed in the Tableau may be filled with any card. Cards from the
stock are dealt to the discard pile, one at a time, with no redeals.
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A 2 pack solitaire with a face up layout, and a
whole bunch of foundations. While not a difficult game to
understand, at all, it is tough to keep track of all the piles and
how they build. To win, all 16 foundation piles must be built to
completion, in suit, by twos. 8 of the piles start with an Ace, the
other 8 start with a 2. Ace piles are built up by twos, as in A3579JK,
the Two piles are built up as 246810Q. A successful
game will end up with kings or queens at the top of each foundation.
To help, there are 9 tableau piles, each of which may be built down
in suit, by 2s. (7 on a 9, but not on an 8). Spaces formed in the
Tableau are filled automatically from the stock. Clicking on the
stock will deal a single card onto each Tableau pile.
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Monte Carlo is my
favorite pair matching game. A
grid of 25 cards is laid out, and pairs (same rank, not suit) of
cards can be removed if they are adjacent to each other
(horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). To do this, drag one
card onto its pair, and both cards will be moved to the waste
pile. When all available pairs are removed, cards are shifted left
and up to condense the remaining cards, and spaces are filled from
the stock. (Click on the stock, to condense, and fill - even when
the stock is empty). The game is won if all cards are paired up
within the tableau, and end up in the waste pile.
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Osmosis is a very unique solitaire, foundation
piles are built in a way entirely different from any game I've
previously seen. Instead of being built up or down with regards to
value, cards may be placed on a foundation only if a card with the
same value has already been played onto the foundation pile
directly above it. At the start of the game, a card is dealt to
the first foundation, this value determines the value that must be
used to start the remaining foundations. For the first foundation,
any card whose suit matches the foundation suit may be added to
the pile. For other foundations, they must be started with a card
that matches the value of the first card on the first foundation.
After that, cards that match that card's suit may be placed on a
foundation, but only if that value is represented in the next
higher foundation. In this way, card values work their way through
the four foundations, hence the name "Osmosis". Four
piles of four cards act as reserve piles. The remaining cards form
the stock, and may be dealt one by one to the discard pile, the
top card of which is available for play. Unlimited redeals are
permitted.
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A hybrid game, combining the layout of
of Canfield, with building
rules of Klondike. The tableau is
dealt as four piles, one card to each. A reserve pile is added to
the game, containing 10 cards, of which the top card is
available for play into the Tableau, or on to a Foundation.
Spaces formed in the tableau can be filled by Kings only.
Points are scored by building the foundation piles up by
suit, from Ace to King.
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A two deck, game, similar to Forty Thieves. To
win, get all the cards to one of the 8 foundation piles (center),
which build up in suit, from ace to king. The 8 tableau piles can be
built down, regardless of suit, but only one card may be moved at a
time. Spaces are filled automatically from the discard pile. Deal
one card from the stock to the discard by clicking on it. No
redeals.
This game is just like Congress, but the aces are not initially
placed, making it tougher to win.
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This is exactly the same game as Osmosis except that the four
Reserve piles are dealt face up, making it easier to plan strategy.
Cards may be placed on a foundation only if a card with the
same value has already been played onto the foundation pile
directly above it. At the start of the game, a card is dealt to
the first foundation, this value determines the value that must be
used to start the remaining foundations. For the first foundation,
any card whose suit matches the foundation suit may be added to
the pile. For other foundations, they must be started with a card
that matches the value of the first card on the first foundation.
After that, cards that match that card's suit may be placed on a
foundation, but only if that value is represented in the next
higher foundation. In this way, card values work their way through
the four foundations, hence the name "Osmosis". Four
piles of four cards act as reserve piles. The remaining cards form
the stock, and may be dealt one by one to the discard pile, the
top card of which is available for play. Unlimited redeals are
permitted.
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The classic tableau removal game. To win, clear the stock and the tableau, by matching
cards that when added together, total 13. Jacks pair with 2's, and Queens match Aces,
Kings are removed by themselves. Cards in the Pyramid Tableau are only available for
removal if they are not covered by another card. However, if a card is only covered by a
single card that matches it, those two may be removed. (just click on the covering card,
and drag onto its covered mate). The top card of the stock is available for matching, or
can be moved to the discard pile (the top card of which, is also available for matches).
The deck can be run through 3 times, by clicking on the 'redeal' button
at the end of each run, but no shuffle is performed.
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A variation of Klondike,
and very similar to Yukon. The goal is to build
the foundations, up by suit, from Ace to King. Tableau piles can be
built down by suit (this is different from Yukon). The layout is
similar to Klondike, but instead of a stock and discard, all
remaining cards are dealt face up into the tableau piles, four cards
to each of the piles except the first. Blocks of cards in the
tableau may be moved even if they do not form a valid sequence.
(this is the twist that the game is known for) Spaces formed in the
tableau, may be filled only with kings.
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The object of this game is to remove all the
cards from the tableau, by building groups of cards from King down
to Ace in suit. (when sequences of this type are formed, they are
removed from the tableau automatically, very much like Spider).
The 7 Tableau piles may be built down in suit, but non-continuous
sequences may be moved (similar to Yukon). That
is, if a two of clubs is underneath three unrelated cards, it may
still be moved onto an exposed three of clubs. The game is started
with 7 cards in each of the tableau piles, the first 4 with four
face down cards, the last 3 with all cards face up. The three
undealt cards form the stock, which is dealt into the first three
piles by clicking on it (obviously, this can only be done once).
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To win this game, get all the cards to the four
foundations, which are built up in value by alternate color. (red 2
on a black ace, for example). Cards in the tableau may be built
down, without regard to suit, but only one card at a time may be
moved. Spaces are not filled.
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A variation of Free Cell
that has been made popular with the Unix community due to the
freeware 'seahaven' program by Terry Weissman. It was also available
as a shareware Macintosh game, ages ago. The object of the game, is
to build the 4 foundations up in suit from Ace to King. To help,
there are 10 Tableau piles, can be built down by suit, and 4 Cells,
each able to hold any single card. Cards may be moved singly, or in
blocks within the Tableau if there are enough free cells so that the
cards could have been moved individually. (i.e. if there are 3 free
cells, you can move blocks of 4 cards, only). At the start of the
game, each tableau has 5 cards, and 2 of the cells contain a card,
the other 2 are empty.
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Simple pairs is probably the easiest of the pair
removing games. The layout consists of 9 tableau piles, in which
any card may be matched (and removed) with a card of equal rank.
As spaces from in the Tableau, they are automatically filled from
the stock. For a more interesting game, try Block
Ten which shares the same layout, but has more complex matching
rules.
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As the name indicates, this is a very simple building game that is pretty easy to win.
Foundations build up, by suit, from the initial value wrapping as necessary until all
13 cards of that suit are present. The Tableau can be built down by alternating
colour (red 5 on black 6, etc...) wrapping as desired. Spaces in the Tableau can
be filled with any card. Deal cards from the stock to the discard by clicking on
the stock - the top card of the discard pile is available to play into the Tableau,
or onto a Foundation.
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Sir Tommy is rumored to be the first patience
style game ever invented. It is very similar to Calculation,
but a lot easier to play and understand, as all foundations build by
increments of one (Instead of Calculation, where foundations are
built by differing increments). The object is to move all the cards
to the four foundations, which are built up by value, from Ace to
King (no regard to suit). The four aces are removed and are used to
start the foundations. The top card of the stock is available for
play at all times, either to a foundation or to a pile in the
Tableau. Any card may be placed on any Tableau, but once there, may
only be moved to a foundation (no moving between Tableau piles is
allowed).
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Try to move all the cards to the four foundations,
which are built up by suit. The 13 tableau piles may be built down
without regard to suit, but only one card at a time may be moved.
Spaces may be filled with any card.
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Often named one of the "classic"
solitaires, the goal of this game is to clear all of the cards
from the tableau, by forming sequences down from King to Ace, in
suit. There are 10 tableau piles, which may be built down without
regard to suit. Sequences of cards may be moved between tableau
piles, but only if they are down in value, and of the same suit.
Spaces formed in the tableau may be filled by any card, or
sequence. The first four piles each start with six cards, the
remaining five start with five. The remaining cards form the
stock. When all plays are exhausted, click on the stock to deal a
single card to each of the tableau piles. Whenever a sequence from
King to Ace, down in suit, is formed, it is automatically taken
out of play, and scored for you.
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The goal of Spiderette is to clear the Tableau,
by making sequences from King down to Ace, in suit. Once a
sequence like this is formed, it is automatically moved to the
waste pile. 7 piles form the tableau, and they may be built down
in value with no regard to suit. (clearly, down is suit is the
best way to go if you have a choice). Spaces formed in the Tableau
may be filled with any card, or valid group of cards. At the start
of the game, one card is dealt to to the first pile, 2 to the
second, etc... just like in Klondike
which we all know and love. When all plays are exhausted, click on
the stock to deal a single card to each Tableau pile. Spiderette is
very similar to Will O the Wisp, but with a
different pile layout.
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The goal of this game is to build the four
foundation piles up from Ace to King, in suit. Eight piles form
the tableau, each starting with 6 or 7 cards. Tableau piles may be
built down by value, with no regard to suit, but cards may only be
moved one at a time. Spaces that form in the Tableau may be filled
with any card. This is the same as Beleagured
Castle but with the aces starting in the Tableau (therefore
slightly tougher).
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A variation of the well known Klondike.
The game is won when the 4 foundation piles, are built up, in suit,
from Ace to King. The standard 1-7 Klondike layout is used to fill
the initial Tableau piles. Cards in the Tableau may be built down in
any suit but the same. (i.e. hearts, spades or diamonds may be put on
a clubs card). Legal sequences down in any suit but the same, may be
moved within tableau piles. Clicking on the stock deals cards, one
at a time, to the discard pile. No redeals.
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A variant of Fan, and very
similar to La Bella Lucie. The object is to
build the four foundations, up in suit, from Ace to King. At the
start of the game, the Aces are removed, and placed on the
foundations. The deck is dealt out into 16 fans of cards, forming
the tableau, all fans starting with 3 cards. Tableau piles can be
built down in suit, but cards may only be moved one at a time.
Spaces formed in the tableau may not be filled with anything at all.
Two redeals are allowed, when all plays are exhausted, click the
redeal button, and the fans will be gathered, shuffled, and redealt.
(the number of redeals left is indicated on the button itself).
Basically, Trefoil is exactly the same as La Bella
Lucie with the four aces initially placed, making it somewhat
easier.
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Whitehead is a Klondike
variant, but allows strategy to take a larger role. The 4 foundation
piles must be built up from Ace to King, in suit. The standard 1-7
Klondike tableau is used, with all cards facing up. Tableau piles
may be build down by color (black cards on black), and sequences may
be moved within the tableau only if they are built down in suit.
(this is similar to Spider). Clicking on the
stock will deal a single card to the discard pile. No redeals.
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The goal of this game is to clear the Tableau, by
making sequences from King, down to Ace, in suit. Seven tableau
piles are provided, with four cards in each (three face down).
Cards or blocks of cards maybe be moved between piles to form
sequences going down in value, with no regard to suit (though it
is advisable to build them in suit wherever possible). Spaces
formed in the Tableau may be filled with any available card. When
all plays in the tableau are exhausted, the stock is used to deal
a single card onto each tableau pile (click on the stock to do
this), and card building continues. Play continues in this fashion
until the stock is depleted and there are no more moves within the
Tableau (or no more cards). When a sequence from King down to Ace
is formed, in suit, it is automatically moved to the waste pile
and out of play. The goal is to remove all four sequences this
way.
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To win this game, group cards in the tableau, in
ace to king sequences of the same suit. Once a sequence is formed,
it is automatically removed from the game. Clear the entire
tableau to win. Cards in the tableau may be built down in value
without regard to suit, but only groups of cards built down in
suit may be moved as a sequence. All cards are face up at the
start of the game, giving you a great chance to use skill to win.
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A variation of Klondike. The goal is to build the
foundations, up by suit, from Ace to King. Tableau piles can be
built down by alternating color. The layout is similar to Klondike,
but instead of a stock and discard piles, all remaining cards are
dealt face up into the tableau piles, four cards to each of the
piles except the first. Blocks of cards in the tableau may be moved
even if they do not form a valid sequence. (this is the twist that
the game is known for) That is, if a black 5 is face up, you can
move it to an exposed red six even if the five has cards above it
that are not in sequence. Spaces formed in the tableau, may be
filled only with kings. If you find Yukon too easy, Russian
Solitaire might be perfect for you.
Special Features
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Allgood
Solitaire includes many features, some
of which are only available to some games:
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Auto Play - Play cards to
foundations whenever they become available. Note:
Auto Play is smart enough to not move cards to foundations
that can still help in building.
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Kings Only - The rules of
the game can be modified to allow Any card to start
an empty tableau, instead of just a king, as in Klondike.
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