Solitaire Variations to be implemented

Here are the approved set of variations that will be randomly assigned to students. Students will have the option to select a variation of their own they would like to implement, but you need me to sign off on the decision.

All instructions below are from (c) "Solitaire, Aces Up and 399 other card games", by David Parlett.

Variation 1 Napoleon's Square

Two packs of cards are required. The object is to build the eight Aces up in suit to the Kings. The odds are in your favor to winning this game

Take the Aces and put them to form a four x two arrangement in the center of the board. These are known as the foundation piles. Then deal twelve cards face up to form a tableau of piles that completely surround the aces (like shown below).

After dealing each of the twelve cards pause to do any building (onto the Aces) or packing (onto other cards in the Tableau) but do not fill spaces. Repeat this step (of dealing twelve cards) three more times.

During game play, draw a single card from the stock of remaining cards and play it (if possible) on any of the foundation piles (which are built upwards by suit and rank) or on the tableau piles (which are packed in descending rank by suit). You also have the option of discarding the card drawn from the stock onto a waste pile.

At any time you may move a card from the tableau either to a foundation pile (when appropriate) or to another pile in the tableau. A space made in the tableau by clearing out a column may be filled with either (a) the top card from the stock; (b) the top card from the waste pile, or with an exposed King (nothing else) from the tableau. There is no redeal.

One can always move the top card of the waste pile to build on a foundation pile.

Variation 2 Metternich

Two packs of cards are required. The object is to found all eight Aces and build them up in suit and rank to the Kings. The odds are in your favor in this game.

Deal four overlapping rows of twelve cards each and regard the result as twelve columns of four cards (as shown below).

All must be dealt before any move is made towards founding or building, but if two Kings of the same suit turn up in the deal you may place it at the bottom of the deck and deal the next card in its place.

The object is to found all eight Aces and build them up in suit and rank to the Kings.

During game play, draw a single card from the stock and play if possible onto a foundation pile (which are built upwards by suit and rank) or on the tableau columns (which are packed in descending rank by suit). If no move is possible then the card is discarded face up to a single wastepile.

A whole sequence of cards may be moved to another column provided that the bottom card of the column being moved is of the same suit and one lower in rank as the target card onto which it is placed.

When a space in the tableau is made by clearing out a column, all columns to the RIGHT of that cleared column become unavailable for packing (though their cards can still be used to build one at a time upon the Foundation Piles).

You are allowed one redeal where the wastepile is turned over and used as a new card stock.

Variation 3 Bismarck

One pack of cards are required. The object is to build up a set of four foundation piles from a base card by suit in increasing rank value (wrapping around from King to Ace as needed). The odds are in your favor.

Deal one card face up. This becomes your base rank. Locate the other three cards in the deck with same rank and form a set of four foundation piles vertically on the table. To the right of these cards, deal four rows of six overlapping cards face up; to the left of these cards, deal four rows of six overlapping cards face up. The tableau is composed initially from these 48 cards. Layout is shown below.

Below the tableau leave room for three "free cells" where a single card may be placed.

During game play, you may only move single cards that are exposed (either to the left or the right) of the tableau. Build up the foundation piles in suit and rank (in increasing order, wrapping around from King to Ace as needed). You may move a card from the tableau to one of the empty free cells. You may move an exposed card from either the tableau or from a free cell to an empty tableau row. You may move an exposed card C₁ from either the tableau or from a free cell to be placed on an existing card C₂ in the tableau if (a) the cards are of the same color; and (b) the cards are one rank apart (wrapping around from King to Ace as necessary). For example, You may move an exposed 8 of diamonds to be placed on either a 9 hearts (or diamonds) or a 7 hearts (or diamonds).

Game is over when all 52 cards are placed within the foundation piles. For a more challenging game, restrict the movement of cards in the tableau to be placed only on cards of the same suit.

Variation 4 Indian

Two packs of cards are required. The object is to found all eight Aces and build them up in suit and rank to the Kings. The odds are against you in this game.

Deal a tableau containing ten columns of three overlapping cards each, with the first face down and the other two face up, as shown below:

Turn cards one at a time from the stock and play if possible or discard face up into a single wastepile. As Aces are discovered, place them on a set of eight foundation piles and build up to Kings by suit. On the tableau, pack in descending sequence and differing suit (e.g., a spade may be packed on any suit other than a spade). Only one card may be moved at a time. When a face-down card is exposed, turn it face up at which time it becomes a 'protected card' that follows the rules below until the stock of cards is exhausted.

A protected card must stay in position until either it can be built onto a foundation pile or the stock of cards is exhausted. When a column becomes empty, it must be immediately filled from stock (if not yet exhausted) by dealing one card face down and two overlapping face up cards as with the original layout. When the stock of cards is exhausted all protected cards become free for packing and empty columns may be filled with any available card.

Cards from the waste pile can be packed onto the tableau columns or built onto the foundation piles.

There is no redeal

Variation 5 Double Fives

Two separate packs of cards are required. The object is to found eight foundation piles and build them up into thirteen-card sequences from a base card, continuing from King to Ace as needed.

From one of the two packs, deal five overlapping columns of five face-up cards. Leave space for eight cards to be placed in a 2x4 arrangement (these will be where the foundation piles are placed). Deal five more overlapping columns of five face-up cards to the right. These fifty cards form the initial tableau. You will be left with two cards. The first one becomes the base card for the foundation piles, and place it in the upper left of the purple foundation piles. The remaining 52nd card is placed at the bottom face up (the pink card below).

Columns in the tableau are to be packed in suit and descending sequence (you may place a King on an Ace as needed). A space made be emptying a column may be filled by a single available card at any time. Only one card can be moved at a time. Once all opening moves are made from the initial deal, turn cards from the second pack in groups of five to be played face up at the bottom next to the initial remaining card from the first deck as shown above. All of these cards may be packed onto the tableau or built up onto a foundation pile. When no moves are possible, take all unplayed cards from this bottom row and place them face down into a discard pile. Then deal the next five from the stock. Continue until the stock of cards is exhausted.

Once the initial stock of cards is exhausted, turn over the discard pile and now draw cards one at a time from the stock, playing each one if possible of discarding it face up to a single wastepile if not. There can be no further redeal.

Variation 6 Scorpion

One pack of cards is required. The object is to remove all cards from the Tableau by packing thirteen-card suite sequences from King down to Ace and eliminating them.

Deal 49 cards in seven overlapping rows of seven. The first four cards in each of the first three rows are face down and all others are face up, as shown below. The remaining cards are dealt face down into a reserve pile.

[old image]

The object is to pack four thirteen-card suit sequences from King down to Ace in the tableau and eliminate them.

An exposed card in the tableau may be packed upon in suit and descending sequence (but a King is not to be placed on an Ace). You may move a single card at a time or an entire sequence of cards that are all of the same suit and descending sequence. Whenever a face-down card is uncovered, turn it face up. A space made by clearing out a column may be filled only by a King (and this could be either the King by itself or a sequence of cards all of the same suit and descending sequence rooted by a King).

If no moves are possible, deal the three cards from the reserve pile face up across the exposed ends of the first three columns and continue play.

NOTES

1. I revised the image for Scorpion to show the proper number of face down cards as well as the reserve pile (shown on the right)