Ants

Game Objective:

The primary objective in Ants Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and stock onto the foundation piles by building sequences up or down in rank, regardless of suit.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck (no jokers).
• Foundation Piles: Deal four cards face-up in a row to form four separate foundation piles.
• Tableau Piles: Deal four cards face-up in a row directly below the foundation piles to form four tableau piles.
• Stock: Place the remaining 44 cards face-down as the stock pile.
• Card Orientation: All cards in the tableau and foundation are dealt face-up. The stock remains face-down until cards are dealt from it.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundation Piles: Where sequences are built up or down.
• Tableau Piles: The main area where cards are temporarily held and from which cards are played to the foundations.
• Stock: The draw pile supplying new cards to the tableau.

Ants Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations:
• Cards are built on each foundation pile up or down in rank, regardless of suit.
• Wraparound is allowed: Kings can be placed on Aces and Aces on Kings.
• Only the next higher or next lower rank can be placed (e.g., on a 7, only a 6 or 8 may be played).
• Tableau Restrictions:
• No building or moving between tableau piles is permitted.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play onto the foundations.
• Stock Use:
• When no moves are possible, deal one card from the stock onto each tableau pile, face-up.
• Movement Limitations:
• Cards cannot be moved from foundations back to tableau or stock.
• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
• Examine the tableau for cards that can be moved to the foundations based on the up/down sequence rule.
• Move eligible tableau cards to the foundations.
• When no more moves are possible, deal one card from the stock onto each tableau pile, covering any existing cards.
• Continue moving tableau cards to the foundations whenever possible.
• Stock Dealing:
• Each time the stock is used, four new cards (one per tableau pile) are dealt face-up on top of the tableau piles.
• If a tableau pile is empty, the new card from the stock fills that space.
• No Moves Available:
• If no moves are possible and the stock is depleted, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition:
• The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the foundation piles.
• Loss/Unwinnable Condition:
• The game is lost if the stock is exhausted and no further legal moves are possible from the tableau to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Foundation Wraparound: Aces and Kings are consecutive; you may play an Ace on a King or a King on an Ace.
• Empty Tableau Piles:
• When dealing from the stock, empty tableau piles are filled with the next card from the stock.
• You cannot fill an empty tableau pile by moving a card from another tableau pile or the foundations—only the stock fills empty tableau spaces.
• No Tableau Building: You cannot build or move cards between tableau piles; only the top card of each tableau pile is eligible to move to the foundations.
• Irreversible Moves: Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot return to the tableau.
• One Card at a Time: Only single cards may be moved; sequences or groups of cards cannot be moved together.

Summary of Unique Features:
Ants Solitaire is defined by its up-or-down, suit-agnostic foundation building, strict one-way movement from tableau to foundation, and the use of the stock to replenish tableau piles without any intra-tableau moves.