How to play Solitaire

Your goal is to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one each for hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. Each pile starts with the ace, followed by the cards of the same suit in ascending order up to the king.

As soon as all four foundation piles are complete, you've won.

You need a 52-card deck without jokers.

1. Deal seven tableau columns from left to right: one card in the first, two in the second and so on, up to seven in the last.
2. Turn the top card of each column face up. The other 21 cards stay face down.
3. Place the remaining 24 cards face down as the stock pile.
4. Leave room above the columns for the four foundation piles and, next to the stock pile, for a face-up waste pile.

• Build cards down in rank, alternating red and black. For example, a red 6 (hearts or diamonds) can go on a black 7 (spades or clubs).
• You can also move several face-up cards in sequence together, as long as the highest card of the sequence fits on the target card.
• When a column has no face-up cards left, turn over the next face-down card.
• Only a king, or a sequence that starts with a king, may go into an empty column.

Variant: Depending on the rules you play, you may move either only a column's entire face-up sequence or a matching part of it as well.

As soon as an ace is free, move it to an empty foundation pile. Then add the 2 of the same suit, then the 3 and so on up to the king. Cards can come from the tableau or from the waste pile next to the stock pile.

Some versions let you move the top card of a foundation pile back to the tableau; others don't. Decide on one rule before you start.

When you need more cards, draw from the face-down stock pile. Before you start, choose one of two versions:

• Draw one: Turn over one card at a time and place it face up on the waste pile.
• Draw three: Turn over three cards at once without changing their order. At first, you may only play the top card.

You may only play the top card of the waste pile to the tableau or a foundation pile. Once you play it, the card underneath becomes available.

When the stock pile is empty, you may turn the waste pile over without shuffling and go through it again.

Variant: Depending on the rules, you may go through the stock pile once, three times or as often as you like. Agree on the number beforehand.

You win when every suit sits on its foundation pile from ace to king. If no legal moves are left and the stock pile offers no more cards you can play, the game is lost. Not every deal can be solved; if yours can't be, just shuffle and deal again.