1. Objective
Build eight complete sequences of cards, each running from King down to Ace in a single suit. Each completed sequence automatically moves to the foundation. The game is won when all eight sequences have been cleared.
2. Deck and difficulty
The game always uses 104 cards. Difficulty changes which suits appear:
- 1 suit: spades only. Every rank appears eight times.
- 2 suits: spades and hearts. Every rank appears four times in each suit.
- 4 suits: spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Every rank appears twice in each suit.
3. Tableau setup
Ten columns receive 54 cards. The first four columns contain six cards and the remaining six columns contain five. Only the bottom card of each column is face up. The other 50 cards form the stock, divided into five deals of ten cards.
The foundation area is empty at the start. There is no waste pile. The stock sits beside the foundation area, and the stock is only usable under the condition in section 6.
4. Legal tableau moves
A face-up card may be placed on a card of the next-higher rank:
- Any suit is allowed for a single card.
- A group of two or more cards may move only if the entire group is a descending, same-suit run ending on the card being placed.
- A card or group may move into an empty column regardless of its rank.
The moving group is defined by the card you pick up. If a column contains 10-9-8-7 all in hearts, picking up the 9 moves 9-8-7 as a group onto a 10 elsewhere. Picking up the 8 moves only 8-7. A group that alternates suits is not movable as a unit.
5. Revealing face-down cards
When the last face-up card is removed from a column, the next face-down card flips face up automatically. If multiple face-down cards are exposed by a single move, only the top one flips; the others remain face down until the newly exposed card is moved.
6. Dealing from the stock
A deal adds one face-up card to each of the ten columns. A deal is legal only when:
- the stock still contains a deal, and
- every tableau column contains at least one card.
If any column is empty, the stock is disabled until that column is filled. There are five deals in a game. After the fifth, the stock is empty and the game must be finished using tableau moves.
7. Completing a sequence
A sequence clears when a column contains 13 cards in descending order from King to Ace, all in the same suit. The clear is automatic and immediate. The sequence moves to the foundation, and the exposed card underneath flips face up if needed.
If a move or deal creates more than one complete sequence, each is cleared in turn. A mixed-suit sequence with the correct ranks does not clear.
8. Winning and losing
The game is won when eight sequences have cleared. It is lost when no legal tableau move exists and no stock deal is available. In this implementation, a loss can be undone, because undo is unlimited; starting a new game records the abandoned game as a loss.
9. Edge cases, answered
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Move a card onto a face-down card | Not allowed. The target must be face up. |
| Move a group with mixed suits | Not allowed. Only a same-suit descending run moves as a group. |
| Move a single card onto a different suit | Allowed if the rank is exactly one lower. |
| Empty column must receive a King | No. Any face-up card or valid run is allowed here. |
| Deal while a column is empty | Not allowed. Fill the column first. |
| Complete a run in the middle of a column | It clears automatically, even if cards remain below it. |
| Undo a completed run | Allowed. Undo restores the state before the move that created it. |
| Re-deal after the stock is empty | No. Only the original five deals exist. |
10. Scoring and statistics
This table does not use a points score. It records the number of moves, the elapsed time, and win/loss statistics per difficulty. Fewer moves and a shorter time are the natural comparisons. Undo count is tracked internally but is not used to penalize the result.