Aces and Kings

Aces and Kings Solitaire: How to Play

1. Game Objective

The primary goal is to move all 104 cards (two standard 52-card decks) onto eight foundation piles: four built up from Ace to King and four built down from King to Ace, regardless of suit.

2. Setup & Layout

• Decks Used: Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total).
• Play Areas:
• Foundations: Eight piles in total.
  • Four Ace Foundations: Build up from Ace to King.
  • Four King Foundations: Build down from King to Ace.
  • All start empty.
• Tableau: Four piles, each with one card dealt face up. Only the top card is ever present and playable in each pile.
• Reserves: Two piles, each with thirteen cards dealt face up. Only the top card of each reserve is playable.
• Stock: The remaining cards, placed face down. Used to replenish tableau and waste.
• Waste: Starts empty. Cards from the stock are dealt here one at a time face up.
• Face-Up/Face-Down:
• All tableau and reserve cards are dealt face up.
• Stock is face down; waste is face up.

3. Core Rules of Play

• Foundations:
• Ace Foundations: Build up from Ace to King, regardless of suit (e.g., A♠, 2♥, 3♣, … K♦).
• King Foundations: Build down from King to Ace, regardless of suit (e.g., K♣, Q♥, J♠, … A♦).
• Any Ace may start an empty Ace Foundation; any King may start an empty King Foundation.
• Cards may be moved between foundations if the move is legal (i.e., correct sequence).
• Tableau:
• Only one card is present in each tableau pile at a time.
• The top card is available for play to the foundations only.
• No building or moving cards within the tableau.
• When a tableau pile is emptied, it is immediately refilled with a card from the stock. If the stock is empty, any card may be moved to fill the tableau space.
• Reserves:
• Only the top card of each reserve pile is available for play to the foundations.
• Once a reserve is empty, it remains empty for the rest of the game.
• Stock and Waste:
• The stock deals one card at a time face up to the waste pile.
• Only the top card of the waste is available for play to the foundations.
• No redeals: you may go through the stock only once.
• Card Movement:
• Cards can only be moved from tableau, reserve, or waste to the foundations.
• Cards cannot be moved between tableau piles, nor from foundations back to tableau, reserve, or waste (except that cards may be transferred between foundations if legal).

4. Gameplay Flow

• On Each Turn:
• Move any available card (from tableau, reserve, or waste) to a foundation if the move is legal.
• If a tableau pile is emptied, immediately fill it from the stock. If the stock is depleted, fill with any available card.
• If no moves are possible, deal one card from the stock to the waste pile.
• Introducing New Cards:
• Tableau spaces are automatically filled from the stock.
• If the stock is empty and a tableau pile is empty, fill it with any available card.
• When No Legal Moves Remain:
• If the stock is exhausted and no further moves to the foundations are possible, the game ends.

5. Winning & Losing Conditions

• Winning: The game is won when all 104 cards are moved to the eight foundation piles, forming complete sequences from Ace to King and King to Ace.
• Losing/Unwinnable State: The game is lost if, after exhausting the stock, not all cards have been moved to the foundations and no further legal moves are possible.

6. Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces:
• Always refill immediately from the stock.
• If the stock is empty, fill with any available card (from reserve or waste).
• No Redeals: The stock may only be gone through once; no reshuffling or redealing is allowed.
• Moving Between Foundations: Cards may be moved from one foundation to another if the move follows the correct sequence (i.e., one higher or lower, as appropriate).
• Reserve Piles: Once a reserve pile is empty, it cannot be refilled.
• Waste Pile: Only the top card is playable; once empty, it remains empty until more cards are dealt from the stock.
• No Building in Tableau: Cards in the tableau cannot be built upon or moved within the tableau; only the top card may be played to a foundation.

Key Definitions:

• Foundation: The area where cards are built up or down in sequence, the ultimate destination for all cards.
• Tableau: The main play area with limited cards available for play to the foundations.
• Reserve: Auxiliary piles with additional cards, only the top card of each is playable.
• Stock: The draw pile; cards are dealt from here to the waste.
• Waste: Cards drawn from the stock; only the top card is available for play.

This ruleset reflects the unique mechanics and strict sequencing that define Aces and Kings Solitaire.