Agnes Sorel

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Agnes Sorel Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and stock to the four foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order by suit, starting from a specific base rank determined at the start of the game.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Deal 28 cards face up in seven columns, forming a triangular pattern:
• 1st column: 7 cards
• 2nd column: 6 cards
• 3rd column: 5 cards
• 4th column: 4 cards
• 5th column: 3 cards
• 6th column: 2 cards
• 7th column: 1 card
• All cards in the tableau are dealt face up.
• Foundations: The 29th card is dealt face up above the tableau to start the first foundation pile. This card determines the base rank for all four foundations (e.g., if it is a 6, all foundations start with a 6). The other three cards of the same rank will be moved to start their own foundations as they become available.
• Stock: The remaining 23 cards form the stock pile, which is used to replenish the tableau during play.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: Seven columns where cards are built down by color.
• Foundations: Four piles built up by suit, starting from the base rank.
• Stock: Supplies additional cards to the tableau in sets of seven.

Agnes Sorel Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Four foundation piles, each built up in suit from the base rank, wrapping from King to Ace if necessary.
• Example: If the base rank is 8, build 8♠, 9♠, 10♠, …, K♠, A♠, 2♠, …, 7♠.
• Only cards of the same suit and in ascending order may be placed on a foundation.
• Foundations may only be started with cards of the base rank.
• Tableau:
• Build down by color (red on red, black on black), not by suit.
• Example: 10♥ can be placed on J♦, or 6♣ on 7♠.
• Sequences of cards built down by color can be moved together as a unit.
• Any exposed card or valid sequence may be moved to another tableau column, following the color rule.
• Empty tableau spaces may be filled with any card or valid sequence (some sources allow only cards one rank below the base rank, but the classic rules permit any card).
• Stock:
• When no further moves can be made, deal one card from the stock to the bottom of each tableau column (seven cards per deal).
• There are three deals in total (after the initial layout, two more deals of seven cards each).
• After the final deal, two cards remain in the stock; these are turned face up and may be played onto the tableau or foundations.
• No redeals are permitted; once the stock is exhausted, it cannot be reused.

Gameplay:

• The player moves exposed cards or sequences in the tableau, building down by color, and moves eligible cards to the foundations, building up by suit from the base rank.
• When no more moves can be made, deal seven cards (one to each tableau column) from the stock.
• Continue making moves and dealing from the stock until the stock is exhausted.
• After the third and final deal, play any remaining moves using the last two stock cards, which are turned face up and available for play.
• The game ends when all cards are moved to the foundations or no more legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: All 52 cards are successfully moved to the four foundation piles, each built up in suit from the base rank to a complete sequence of thirteen cards.
• Loss: The game is lost if, after the stock is exhausted and all possible moves have been played, there are still cards remaining in the tableau (i.e., not all cards have been moved to the foundations).

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Any card or valid sequence may be moved into an empty tableau space (some variants restrict this to cards one rank below the base rank, but classic rules allow any card).
• Foundation Base Rank: The base rank is determined by the first foundation card dealt at the start of the game. All other foundations must begin with cards of this same rank.
• Sequence Movement: Only sequences built down by color can be moved together as a unit within the tableau.
• No Redeals: Only one pass through the stock is permitted. Once the stock is exhausted, no further cards can be dealt.
• Final Stock Cards: After the third deal, the last two cards are turned face up and may be played immediately.
• No Reserve Pile: Unlike some other solitaire variants, Agnes Sorel does not use a reserve pile.

Note: Some modern digital implementations may introduce slight rule variations, especially regarding which cards can fill empty tableau spaces. The rules above reflect the classic, original ruleset as described in authoritative sources.