The goal of solitaire is to move all of the cards onto the four foundation piles, one pile per suit in ascending order (Ace to King).
Setup
- Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and place it face down in a pile, called the stock pile.
- Deal seven piles of cards, face down, with the first pile containing one card and each subsequent pile containing one additional card.
- Turn over the top card of each pile, leaving the rest of the cards face down.
Gameplay
There are three main areas in a game of solitaire:
- Tableau: The seven piles of cards that are dealt at the beginning of the game.
- Stock pile: The pile of cards that remains after the tableau is set up.
- Foundation piles: The four empty piles where you will build your ascending sequences of each suit.
To play, you can move cards within the tableau or from the tableau to the foundation piles.
Moving cards within the tableau:
- You can move a face-up card to the bottom of another column if the face-up card you’re playing it on is a different color and one number higher than it.
- For example, a black six can move to a red seven, and a red eight can move to a black nine.
- You can also move a sequence of face-up cards, in descending order and alternating colors, to the bottom of another column.
- For example, you could move a black six, red five, and black four to a red seven.
- When you move a face-up card, you can reveal the face-down card underneath.
Moving cards to the foundation piles:
- You can move an ace from the tableau to a foundation pile.
- You can also move a face-up card from the tableau to a foundation pile if it is the next highest card in the sequence for that suit.
- For example, if you have an ace of hearts in the foundation pile, you can move a two of hearts from the tableau to the foundation pile.
Drawing cards from the stock pile:
- If you cannot make any moves within the tableau, you can draw a card from the stock pile.
- If the card you draw is face-up, you can place it in the tableau or on a foundation pile.
- If the card you draw is face-down, you must place it face down on the bottom of the stock pile.
Winning the game:
- You win the game when you have moved all of the cards onto the four foundation piles.
Tips
- Try to keep as many cards face-up in the tableau as possible. This will give you more options for moves.
- When moving cards within the tableau, try to create sequences that will eventually lead to kings.
- If you cannot find a move within the tableau, draw a card from the stock pile.
- Be patient! Solitaire can be a challenging game, but it is also very rewarding.
There are many different variations of solitaire, but the basic rules are the same. With a little practice, you will be able to enjoy this classic game for years to come.