Alternate

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Alternate Solitaire is to build all cards onto the foundations by suit, with red aces building up in alternating colors to red kings, and black kings building down in alternating colors to black aces.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations:
  • Place the two red aces (Ace of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds) on the left as starting foundation piles.
  • Place the two black kings (King of Spades, King of Clubs) on the right as starting foundation piles.
• Waste Piles: Four waste piles are positioned between the foundations.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the draw pile (stock).
• Card Orientation: All foundation cards are face-up. Cards drawn from the stock are placed face-up onto the waste piles. Only the top card of each waste pile is available for play.

Alternate Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
  • Cards can be moved from the stock to a waste pile or directly to a foundation if eligible.
  • Only the top card of each waste pile is available for play at any time.
• Building Foundations:
  • Red Ace Foundations: Build up in rank (Ace to King), with each card placed being of alternating color (red, black, red, black, etc.).
  • Black King Foundations: Build down in rank (King to Ace), with each card placed being of alternating color.
• Waste Pile Management:
  • Cards from the stock must be placed on a waste pile if not playable to a foundation.
  • Cards from the top of any waste pile may be played onto a foundation if the move follows the building rules.
• Movement Restrictions:
  • Only one card may be moved at a time.
  • No cards may be moved between waste piles.
  • If a waste pile becomes empty, it remains empty for the rest of the game.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
  • Draw one card from the stock.
  • Place the drawn card onto any waste pile or directly onto a foundation if possible.
  • After each draw, check if the top card of any waste pile can be played onto a foundation.
• Introducing New Cards:
  • Continue drawing cards from the stock and placing them onto waste piles or foundations.
  • Once the stock is depleted, no further cards can be drawn.
• No Legal Moves:
  • If no cards can be moved to the foundations and the stock is empty, the game is blocked.
  • There is typically one redeal allowed: gather all cards from waste piles, restack, and redeal into waste piles.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition:
  • The game is won when all 52 cards are built onto the foundations according to the building rules (red aces up to red kings in alternating colors, black kings down to black aces in alternating colors).
• Losing/Unwinnable State:
  • The game is lost if, after the allowed redeal, no further moves can be made and not all cards are on the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Waste Piles:
  • If a waste pile becomes empty, it remains empty and cannot be refilled for the rest of the game.
• Redeal:
  • After all possible moves are made and the stock is empty, gather all cards from the waste piles and redeal them into piles of three cards each, face-up, as a single redeal opportunity.
• Alternating Color Rule:
  • Every card placed on a foundation must alternate in color from the previous card (red-black-red-black, etc.).
• Foundation Choices:
  • Only red aces and black kings serve as initial foundation cards; all other cards must follow the strict building sequence.

Definitions:

• Foundation: Area where cards are built up or down by suit and alternating color, starting from aces or kings.
• Waste Pile: Temporary holding area for cards drawn from the stock; only the top card is available for play.
• Stock: The draw pile from which cards are dealt to waste piles or foundations.

This guide provides a precise, step-by-step reference for playing Alternate Solitaire using its unique alternating color and dual-direction foundation rules.